Artemis Fowl: Emerald Sanctuary
by Chemiclord
Summary: Holly makes a drastic decision that sets the LEP into high alert, chasing her and Artemis across an ocean to the one place claimed to be able to help them both. But is there really sanctuary to be found, or is it simply jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is a piece from a much larger idea bouncing around my head. I can't promise I'll be able to update it with anything resembling regularity, though, as I have a lot stuff on my plate, and only so many hours in the day. Do bear with me!_

**Chapter 1**

There were times that Artemis Fowl was not fond of Reginald Davies. His neighbor from the floor below was the prototypical party animal; if not out on the town at some raucous party... he was hosting such a party and making an unholy racket as late as the complex's policies allowed.

He was hosting one such party right now, and it tied into the times that didn't fall under the above sentiment; times that Artemis Fowl really _despised _Reginald Davies. These were the times that he wished he had refused his parent's insistence and bought his own home, well out in the country, where the only requirements to leave would be when he was required by his colleagues to attend a presentation of one of his many thesis.

"But you are such a vibrant young man! You should _not _be a recluse!" His mother had said. "Even if you are a professor in your own right, it will do you good to be around people your age for once!"

"She's right, Arty." His father had agreed. "Just entertain your old parents this one time. After your first lease expires, then we'll sit silent as you hide away in the countryside. I'm sure you won't find it nearly as loathsome as you believe."

Artemis doubted either of them anticipated a lower neighbor like Reginald Davies, either that or they grossly overestimated the maturity of twenty-two year olds.

A knock on his door prompted Artemis to glower balefully at the door before burying his nose back into the work he was pretending to do. His block had little to do with the party downstairs – he had completed an entire doctorate thesis in a single night through such a party – but it made for a good scapegoat for his fugue.

The knock sounded again, and Artemis ignored it. Even if he wasn't trying to work, he was in no mood for visitors... or more accurately in less of a mood for visitors than normal. Hadn't been in much mood for people the last twenty-seven days, and even reported to Oxford that he was ill once to avoid having to interact with other human beings. Again, that had nothing to do with the party going on downstairs.

Artemis Fowl, genius, entrepreneur, professor of seven disciplines, multi-millionaire of his own merits before even counting any wealth he would inherit from his family, one of the UK's 50 most eligible bachelors by Page 3 reckoning – or as Reginald Davies would call it a man that makes a woman's chest rise, and her panties drop – was nursing a broken heart.

Yes, the mighty Artemis Fowl, heartbroken. No doubt there were several fools who would pay good money to see him in such a wretched state. For whether or not the myth that he causes heaving bosoms and falling knickers was true or not, there was really only one heart that he had been interested in...

* * *

_"We're from two different worlds, Arty. My people would never allow it, even if I wanted to. I am so very sorry. I shouldn't have led you on like this. I didn't realize how deep your affections had become. I shouldn't have hung around this long anyway. Frond, I'm so very sorry. I won't talk to you again. I won't blame you for thinking terrible things about me. I deserve it. Bye. Umm... yeah. Bye."_

* * *

That had been the last words he had heard from the enchanting little elf called Holly Short, twenty-seven days prior. And if that wasn't bad enough, the one time he had _tried _to use some backdoor channels to find _her_, it had landed him in call with Foaly, and the impression that Holly had taken on what amounted to a suicide mission to infiltrate the Fey Den, whatever and wherever that was. All Artemis could gather was that not even the People knew much about it anymore other than it was a scary place that they all mostly pretended didn't really exist.

So not only was he heartbroken, he was also worried sick for his best friend... and only love.

To put it not so bluntly; Artemis Fowl II was a mess.

Again the rapping of his door crept to his ears over the muffled sound of the party upstairs. It sounded a fourth time before irritation finally compelled him to answer whatever simpleton was being so damned persistent, and a fifth before he reached the door, opening it as far as the still attached chain would allow.

"What in the name of God do you _want_?" He snarled gruffly even before he identified the visitor.

Reginald Davies.

Artemis attempted to slam the door, but found himself thwarted by Reginald's shoulder nudging into the doorway. "Now, Fowl... easy there, mate!" He hastily said with far too much cheer for Artemis's sensibilities. "I couldn't help but notice you've been cooped up in here for the better part of a month, now."

"That's not true." Artemis growled.

"Lecturing at the college twice a week does not constitute 'getting out'. It's getting rather depressing, honestly."

"That would be a first for you, I'm sure."

"What are you doing in here, anyway? Aren't you bored out of your skull?"

"No."

"Are you like moping over a break-up or something? I've got at least a score of ladies downstairs that would love to meet you!"

Artemis's teeth ground angrily, "You know nothing." He then tried to force Reginald out of his doorway, but despite actually putting some effort into his physical strength over the years, he was never going to be confused for a physically dominating specimen.

"I know quite a bit, mate." Reginald answered. That _was _quite true, to be fair. Reginald _was _a promising graduate student at Saïd Business School. While certainly not a man of Artemis's genius, Reginald was _hardly _a complete imbecile, even if he seemed hellbent on looking like one at any given moment. "And I know when a man is hurting. You're a bottle of stale liquor from the very picture of heartbreak."

This was as earnest and serious as Artemis could ever remember his neighbor.

"This isn't normal for you. Nor is it healthy. You don't need to hop in bed with the first girl that catches your eye, but sitting here moping and wallowing in your misery isn't any better. Come on downstairs. Just for an hour. Get some air that isn't heavy."

"You're not going to leave until I agree, is that it?"

Reginald shrugged. "That's the short of it, yes."

Artemis sighed. This is what he's been reduced to. A man so pathetic and broken that he was actually going to attend a _party_. "Let me wash up and change. I'll be down in thirty minutes."

Reginald at that point retreated with a parting, "I'm coming after you in a half hour!"

Artemis morosely shut the door and retreated to the washroom, wholly unaware that he had set someone else's plan in motion. And had he been of sharper awareness, he likely would have noticed the slight purple ring of mesmer tinting the edges of Reginald's eyes.

* * *

There were two elements to a Reginald Davies party, it turned out.

One of them he was already aware of; loud upbeat music, the drone of chit chat over said music, liberally flowing liquor, wine, and spirits, the slight hint of tobacco from the part of the flat he designated for smokers, and possibly the sweet smell of marijuana if he didn't miss his guess.

But the second part had surprised him. He had suspected that showing up to this party in Armani would make him horribly overdressed for the occasion, and had been planning on it. Instead, he fit right in with the rest of the clientele, and he found that rather annoyed him. Evening dresses, suits, and black ties were not just the standard... they appeared to be required.

As such, he found he was infinitely more approachable than he wanted to be; having to shrug off the advances of four women in the last fifteen minutes.

"And what was wrong with that one, eh?" Reginald asked after Artemis had shrugged off the latest moth to his flame.

"Nothing." Artemis had answered.

She was hardly ugly, nor had she come across as shallow or vapid. He had no doubt she was quite intelligent; if he remembered the face, she was working on a second doctorate in neuroscience research to go along with her MD; quite remarkable for a twenty-five year old woman that didn't have the name Fowl.

He took another slow sip of the islay scotch that had literally been dropped in front of him. It wasn't a bad drink, though not what he was accustomed to. The same could have been said for the lady in question. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her. It was merely that her hair was gold, not copper. Her skin alabaster rather than almond. And while the girl was no doubt as magical in bed as she claimed, she wasn't _literally _magical.

It wasn't her fault. She simply wasn't Holly.

Reginald shook his head. "Alright, mate. I did say you only had to come down. I didn't say you had to mingle. I shouldn't pressure you. I'll leave you b... hello there..."

Reginald's head had jerked to the front door, where apparently another guest had arrived. Artemis's head followed, instinctive curiosity from Reginald's reaction, only to fight back his eyes from dislodging themselves from his skull to get a closer look.

The arrival had just handed her black crop jacket to the doorman, highlighting every curve that was fully flattered by the tight black single-shoulder dress the woman wore. It went well with her deeply tanned complexion and coppery red hair that fell into a shoulder length bob. The skirt was slitted thigh high on her left side, giving more than a very good view of toned shapely legs and she dutifully stepped into the flat like she owned it. Hazel eyes surveyed the scene before spotting the long L shaped bar at the southwest corner of the main room and took a beeline through the crowd, claiming the central stool for her own and ordering something from the uniformed male manning the bar.

It couldn't be what Artemis was thinking. First of all, the woman who had arrived was at least 5'6", and her ears were most certainly not pointed. But the LEP had technology that could hide that...

Artemis shook his head rapidly. Now was _not _the time to be silly. The sort of magic and technology required for that level of subterfuge would have set off several alarms in his flat and relayed to him through any one of three methods... one of them devised from LEP comm methods itself.

The girl seemed to notice Artemis boring holes into her with his eyes. She took the wine glass filled with a rich red liquid, then flashed him a smile with twinkling eyes as she took her first sip, keeping eye contact until she sat the glass down, and reached into her purse, providing a paper note as a tip to the bartender.

Artemis _had_ noted movement in an obscure Swiss account he had set up for Holly whenever she had taken... unapproved visits to the surface; withdrawls could only be made through specific ATMs that Artemis knew were clean and cash only. That had been ten days ago, drawn from an ATM in Dorset; and had prompted Artemis's failed attempt to contact Holly through back channels. Ten days was more than enough time to...

Again Artemis slammed the breaks on that train of thought. It didn't _matter _that Holly had withdrew money in Dorset ten days ago in this case. If this woman had been Holly, he would _know. _An elf doesn't just turn into a human girl without some trick that he would be able to detect. There was no enchantment or camouflage here; just an attractive young lady who bore a very strong resemblance to Holly. That's all.

The girl took another sip, again locked eyes with Artemis, and raised her eyebrows questioningly, followed by another teasing grin.

A very, _very _strong resemblance to Holly...

"Aye, that girl's a looker, isn't she?" Reginald said, noting Artemis's rapt attention. "Not familiar though, and trust me, I'd know if I saw a lady like that around town. Do _you _know her, perhaps?"

Artemis shook his head. "No. I don't think so."

"Must be someone's date then, I'm guessing. She got through the doorman, and I sent the invitations personally." Then his eyes momentarily glazed over, and when they focused again, he remarked, "Or... wait... no... now I remember! Prospective grad student, doing tours of colleges. Bumped into her two days ago. Odd that I had forgotten."

Had Artemis actually been listening, he might have noticed the mesmer suggestion for what it was, and would have remembered that a subtle enough mesmer wouldn't register above the background magical noise of the city, and thus not set off his personal alert system. It would have made him more wary, and he probably wouldn't have done what he was about to do.

He threw back the remainder of his scotch, feeling the burn all the way down his throat, and convincing him that he wasn't dreaming. He stood as a well dressed man in pinstripes approached the woman, who dismissed him without even looking in his direction, her attention still focused intently on Artemis.

The fellow retreated, duly rejected, as Reginald looked up. "Gonna give it a go, mate? Luck o' the Irish to you, and all that."

As Artemis made his move, the business student whispered in prayer, "Lord, guide thy foolish servant, for he knows not what he does."

The first thing Artemis noticed upon getting closer was the woman's rose colored lipstick. Holly wore that very same color whenever she prettied herself up. She looked up expectantly at him once he finished his approach, stopping four feet from where she was sitting. Momentarily breaking eye contact to address the barkeeper, she pointed at her glass, and said, "One more like this for my... friend, if you could?"

Damn it, that was Holly's voice too, although the chamber had shifted slightly deeper due to the fact that it was coming from human-sized lungs. Artemis slapped his forehead in frustration, as if trying to beat his brain senseless for these absurd thoughts.

The movement got the attention of his quarry again, this time perplexed amusement. "Something wrong, good sir?"

Artemis was only tangentially aware of the bartender setting down a glass of wine at the bar to his left. He sighed forlornly, and finally said, "No. I apologize, madam. I... I thought you were someone else for a moment."

Artemis could almost _hear _Reginald in the background groan and drop his face into his palm. To be fair, Artemis wouldn't blame him. Even he felt like he was going down in flames. There were many icebreakers in human interaction... what Artemis had said was more analogous to a blast of arctic wind.

Yet, the girl seemed to be _more _amused by the statement, dropping her right elbow onto the bar counter, and catching her chin with that hand. Her eyes twinkled playfully, and her smile tweaked upward just a hint more. "Oh? And may I ask who you thought I was?"

Artemis grabbed the wine, taking a long drag, feeling the red grape tinted with alcohol on his tongue. Unfortunately, any courage the liquid would infer would take a good half hour to take effect, hardly of use currently.

He closed his eyes, sorting his thoughts, calming his treasonous mind. This girl wasn't who he wanted to believe she was. But that was okay. It really was time he stopped measuring people up to a standard they had no hope of meeting, and let them be who they were on their own merits. This was no doubt an intelligent, thoughtful, meaningful young woman in her own right, and had the advantage of an appearance that he knew he found appealing.

When he opened his eyes, the girl was still smiling playfully, only now had cocked one eyebrow in curiosity much like...

This time, Artemis metaphorically slapped his brain. "Stop that nonsense this instant." His logic said chidingly to his emotions.

Artemis shook his head slightly, "It doesn't matter. May I start over?"

She tilted her head in acceptance. "If you wish."

He held out his hand in greeting, and said, "Artemis Fowl, the second, to be specific. And I must say I'm much more interested in knowing who you are."

The girl took his hand gently, and now the smile broadened to reveal a set of brilliantly white teeth in a manner that Artemis likened to the Cheshire Cat of Lewis Carroll's imagination. She took one more sip of her wine, then said cheekily, "Holly."

Artemis jolted, the emotions that he had just managed to reign in thumping at the door of his brain, demanding to be let out, as the girl stood; needing to raise herself on her toes to lean into his ear and whisper, "Holly Not-So-Short-Anymore."

And at that point, every gear in his brain locked up, and he swore a blue screen of death flashed in front of his vision. His brain had one simple set of instructions for his body before it went into hard-reboot; not to release any solids or fluids, try to remain upright, and to try and not drop the drink he was holding.

The first two items on the list were, thankfully, heeded. The third, apparently, was not quite as successful, as when cognitive thought returned, he realized that Holly had stabilized the wine glass with her right hand comfortably over his left.

"Careful." She said playfully. "I'm sure that stuff is expensive."

Artemis had roughly twenty questions at that moment, and they all tried to come out at once in one flabbergasted sound. With a smile now sultry and a voice laden with honey, Holly offered, "Why don't we ditch this party and you can take me upstairs?"

He nodded dumbly, "Yes... I think we need to have a long... talk."

Holly leaned forward again, this time dropping a teasing kiss on his cheek before again leaning into his ear. She couldn't have been more suggestive without using a mesmer when she whispered, "Eventually..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Artemis woke first, to his surprise. Usually Holly was the type to be up at the crack of dawn, but today the sun was well risen enough to peek through his windows, and she was still in a state of slumber, nestled comfortably in the crook of his arm and against his chest... each breath reminding Artemis quite succinctly that she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing underneath the sheet and comforter that covered them both.

His body predictably responded to that reminder, but he couldn't let himself get distracted. She had more than effectively deflected conversation the night before, but Artemis _had _to know what was going on.

At the same time, however, he didn't want to wake her and demand answers. It was rare to see Holly at peace. Whatever had happened that brought her to this point, she looked the most at ease than he had ever seen her, like a tremendous weight on her shoulders was finally gone.

There were other avenues he could take... but it required him to get out of bed.

Holly protested with a half-awake groan and mumble as she felt him move. Artemis kissed her on the shoulder and said, "Go back to sleep, honey. I just have some work to do, then I'll get some breakfast for us."

A grumble that he assumed was compliance allowed Artemis to slip out of bed, throw on some boxers and his robe while forcing himself to ignore the thin black dress and similarly colored umentionables carelessly discarded at his feet, then step out of the bedroom.

There was one place he could go where he suspected he could find some answers at this point, or least more information than was available eleven days ago. Crossing the hall into his office, he flipped open his laptop, and Artemis began the game of cat and mouse that Foaly loved to play.

It wasn't ever a _serious _game, mind. Otherwise it would take a lot longer and Artemis wouldn't be guaranteed an audience. Of course, it was never as easy as Foaly simply answering the first attempt, like he did this time.

That couldn't be good news.

The centaur in charge of the Lower Elements technological superiority looked anxious. "Hey, mudboy." He said nervously, "I know this may seem odd... but I was kinda waiting for your call. Listen, there's something... important... we need to discuss..."

At that point, Foaly was violently removed from the image, to be replaced by the anger contorted visage of begrudging ally and frequent irritant Commander Trouble Kelp. "_What have you done, Fowl?_" The elf bellowed in rage, prompting Artemis to turn down the volume on his computer to keep from waking Holly.

Artemis didn't consider Commander Kelp an enemy, but certainly didn't consider him a friend, either. "I've done several things, Commander." Artemis replied coldly. "Could you be a shade more specific?"

Trouble looked like he was about to grind his teeth down to the roots. "Where is Major Short?"

If Commander Kelp thought Artemis was going to be accommodating after that outburst of an introduction, the elf had another thing coming. "Not here, if that's what you're asking." That was_ technically _true, after all. She wasn't anywhere within his office, and Kelp had no reason to know that she was in fact sleeping across the hall, at least not right at that moment.

"Damn it, Fowl... I don't know what game you think you're playing this time... I don't know what you lured Short into, but it's got her in a mountain of trouble!"

Foaly had to interject on Artemis's behalf. "As I was trying to tell you Commander before Fowl called; he hasn't heard from Holly in almost a month. He called _me _eleven days ago trying to find out what happened to her."

That explanation killed much of Trouble's rage, and Artemis could now see that the commander was genuinely distressed. "God, man... tell me what the hell has happened. I'm completely in the dark here." Artemis demanded gently.

Foaly stuck his head back into the display, hovering over Trouble's. "Remember when I told you that Holly had taken on a mission to infiltrate the Fey Den?"

"Yes..."

"It was all faked. Holly had forged the paperwork." Commander Kelp said grimly. "Forged my signature to get clearance to go off the grid. We know she went to the Fey Den, but beyond that, she's completely dropped off our detection."

Holly _faked _a mission? Artemis asked the obvious question as much to the other as to himself, "Why would she do that?"

Foaly's ears dropped, "We were hoping _you _could give us some insight on that. Kinda hoping that you had some sort of crazy scheme that we could point to and be able to bring Holly back into the fold with maybe a reprimand of some sort."

Kelp explained in more detail, "Now that I look back on it, there were a ton of hints that Holly was going to do something very drastic. About three weeks ago, reports got back to me that Holly was studying some really old case files pertaining to fey transformations, specific ones. When I confronted her about it, she claimed they were for the Human-People Relations class she teaches at the academy.

Artemis nodded. Holly had been particularly unsatisfied with her responsibilities after promotion to Major, and had cited her class as one of the things that had irritated her. Just the fact that she would claim to be doing outside work for it would have been a red flag, as she was notorious for putting as much effort into the class as her students did; the bare minimum.

"I should have been more suspicious." Commander Kelp acknowledged himself. "Holly was growing increasingly discontent with her job."

"Not for no reason." Foaly interjected.

Trouble couldn't even stir the ire to snap at the centaur. "I know, Foaly. I just thought that I'd notice if it got so bad she'd do something stir crazy."

Artemis cut in. "While that's all wonderful and all, that really doesn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Holly hated her promotion, and often felt like she was being singled out by her superiors. How does this all tie into the Fey Den and a fake mission?"

Kelp said, "The specific cases Holly was looking into pertained to People who made deals with the Fey to become human. We fear that Holly... has attempted to do the same."

Artemis had to fight his instinct to look towards his bedroom. He knew such fairy tales existed, but he hadn't realized that it was something that actually _possible_. "The Fey can do that?"

Foaly and Trouble nodded. "We're talking about old beings that delve in old magic that the rest of the Lower Elements don't even remember." The centaur said. "It's said some of the Fey are so old they _remember _the Battle of Taillte."

"They're bad news, simply put." Commander Kelp added, "They have a den _somewhere _in the Lower Elements that's completely invisible to even our technology. Frond, the only reason anyone knows they still exist is when they all emerge every one hundred years then go even further underground for a ritual _in the center of the damned Earth. _Even if they weren't as slimy as a dwarf's ass hairs, they're just damned creepy."

"Point is, yes... they can physically change anyone into pretty much anything." Foaly said. "But it's not done for free. There's nothing concrete pertaining to what they ask for in exchange, but it can be anything... even your very soul."

"That's one of the reasons we're so worried." Kelp said. "If she actually has done this, who knows what she has compromised in order to do it?"

Artemis cocked an eyebrow. "You say 'reasons', emphasis on the plural."

"Holly's been designated a runaway, and a renegade wanted by LEAF."

Artemis hadn't heard _too _much about the Lower Elements Armed Forces, a new entity formed after the entire Berserker's Gate fiasco, and the momentarily revealing of fairykind to humans. He knew that Commander Kelp had been furious at losing authority over LEPmarine, which had reformed as LEAFmarine, along with Army and Paramilitary divisions. They served a functional role like most human military machines, while LEP now was now solely a civil law enforcement division.

Artemis also knew that LEAF was not _nearly _as easy to reason and negotiate with than LEP. Renegades were considered not simple criminals, but traitors and enemy combatants. You didn't get arrested and put on trial anymore. You were shot on sight.

Which also meant that Artemis couldn't come clean with either of them at this point. Saying anything at this point could implicate the two of them as well. "Well, I can safely tell you that I was not aware of anything Holly was planning, and if what you are saying is true, any help you could provide her at this point is nil."

The fire ignited in Trouble's eyes again, and he growled warningly, "I don't believe you for one second, Fowl. You know _something_... and if you knew the depths of hell that you and Holly have stepped in, you'd have her turn herself in immediately."

"For what? Her execution?" Artemis scoffed.

"I can _help._"

"No, I really don't think you can, Commander. I think you're an impotent ninny whose inherent distrust of anything above surface level helped lead to the militant organization that has only made the potential powder keg between humans and fairy _worse_. A man who sat idle while his own subordinate's life was turned into a living hell because of his dogged attachment to proper procedure. I think Major Short can do without any more of your 'help', thank you very much."

"_Damn it, Fowl_!"

"And if you are so disbelieving of what I had to say, Commander, then let me say something you _know _is true." Artemis leaned forward, and said sternly, "If Holly finds her way to me, I will fight to the death for her."

Trouble's eyes narrowed at the declaration. It had been a bit of an unsaid barb in their interactions... Trouble and Holly had shared a short fling and the tension between Holly and Artemis had been literally electric at times. Both men either suspected or knew about the affections they each shared for the wayward major, and that knowledge set off unseen sparks and dander in the moment before them.

It was Commander Kelp who backed down, just as he had those years ago when he realized that Holly had already made her choice, as stupid and improper as it had been, in favor of a prepubescent mudboy. "I don't doubt that at all, Fowl. I just hope you don't have to back up your boast. I doubt Foaly here will be able to clone you again."

The centaur piped up, "Theoretically, I certainly could. Practically... LEAF would have whatever location I had chosen burning in blue rinse debris within five minutes of the process beginning."

Kelp offered something resembling parting encouragement. "Good luck, Fowl. Whatever happens. Kelp out."

The call terminated, and Artemis folded his hands in front of his chin thoughtfully. Of course, he knew what those two could only speculate. It was how Holly didn't set off any of his alarms. She had underwent an honest transformation into a human.

At that point, he heard Holly's voice from the doorway. "Did... did you mean that?"

Artemis jerked his head in the direction of the voice with a start, having not realized that Holly had woken. She had wrapped the sheet around herself to maintain an air of modesty – though Artemis felt that cat was out of the proverbial bag at that point – and looked far too vulnerable for Artemis's sensibilities. "Holly? When did you..."

"I heard enough." She replied. "Did you mean it? Would you really fight to the death for me?"

Artemis jumped up from his desk, crossing the distance with three strides, and enveloped the now human girl in a tender embrace, pecking her on the forehead chastely. "Of course I would. You're... the most important person in my life at this point. I couldn't do without you."

Holly smiled at his usage of words, no doubt chosen for specifically that effect.

"Are they right?" Artemis asked. "Is this... a fey transformation?"

Holly dropped her head against Artemis's chest, and slowly nodded. "Yes. I really did it this time, Arty. I didn't do it for the good of the People or the LEP or anything. This was purely selfish. I really honestly broke fairy law... and there's no going back."

Artemis held her at arms length so that he could make eye contact, staring into the hazel orbs as if doing so would tell him everything. "But _why_, Holly? I knew things were bad... but what happened? What happened this last month?"

Holly dropped her head shamefully. "It starts right where the two of us left off twenty-eight days ago..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I'm sorry if I interrupted your class." Artemis said, looking quite annoyed from the screen of her phone. It was a piece of human technology, of course, modified and using LEP communications in order for the signal to reach down into Haven. Foaly either wasn't able to detect the human device on the network, or more likely conveniently looked the other way.

"Hardly. None of them wanted to be there." Holly replied, "Least of all me. I'm just doing some required non-sense paperwork with all the peace and quiet."

"I can't imagine it's _that_ bad." Artemis answered. He was a part time teacher himself at that point, so he probably thought he could relate.

"I 'teach' a LEPacademy course on Human and People relations, Arty, while the LEAF builds up fortifications and shoots to kill any fairy that even thinks about applying any lesson I might teach. It's busy work to keep me irrelevant, and every single damn one of my students knows it. Frond, I'm not even allowed to give out a final grade anymore. It's either 'credit' or 'no credit' and the only way they get 'no credit' is if they don't show up for more than seven classes."

"That's not terribly uncommon..."

"It's a once-a-week, thirteen week course, Arty."

"Oh."

Holly set down her pen, "On top of that, the Council recently dropped an edict on Trouble's head declaring that higher ranking officers in this 'era of uncertainty' can't be risked, and thus are no longer permitted to operate any field maneuvers... not even a damned patrol of _Haven_, for crying out loud."

"Because, God knows war is on the doorstep of the Lower Elements." Artemis said with a roll of his eyes. "Let me guess, that policy change only really affects you."

"I'm the only one above Captain rank who regaled myself with field duty, yes." Holly confirmed. "Council claims it's simply a matter of codifying was what already standard operating procedure. I think they're trying to get my goat."

Holly had good reason to think this way. She had become rather famed for her surface exploits, as well as her advocacy for open relations with the "mud-men." It flew directly in the face of the more militant council that was readying defenses for what they felt was not a matter of _if _war came to the Lower Elements, but _when_.

The more those elements in power could diminish Holly's presence, the better off they were.

She forced those conspiracy theories out of her mind. She was starting to sound like Foaly. Besides, Artemis had called her for a reason, and she doubted it was to listen to her complain. She also guessed she knew what the call was intended for. "Anyway, enough about me. What happened on your blind date? How'd you screw it up this time?"

"She just wasn't interesting." Artemis replied vaguely.

To be fair, Artemis had approached the entire thing with a distinct lack of enthusiasm; the result of a lost bet with a handful of other professors. Holly had seen people more excited by their sleeping pill overdose. So she wasn't surprised that it didn't go well.

On top of that, she also knew that it would take a particularly special mind to keep Artemis's attention. While he _was _male, it took more than a shapely figure to appeal to Artemis Fowl for terribly long. "I take it she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer?"

"She wasn't a Minerva Paradizo genius, no." He answered. "But she wasn't a simpleton, either. Nuclear Physics student, if I remember correctly. Pretty enough, I suppose. She just... wasn't interesting. She..."

His voice drifted off and he looked away from the screen. Holly wasn't certain, but she thought she saw a hint of color rise up his neck and cheeks. Pressing the issue, she asked, "She... what?"

Artemis finally turned back, clearly showing his flushed features, and bluntly declared, "She wasn't you."

Holly's eyes bulged at the confession, and she was not the least bit surprised to find herself both elated and horrified to hear it. Elated because she genuinely adored Artemis Fowl, and no longer attempted to deny that fact to herself. He had grown up into a striking young man with a strong sense of honor and decency, yet retained enough of his mischievous edge to never be boring.

Artemis had taken on a resigned tone, as if he couldn't believe what he had admitted to. "There. I said it. As insane and impossible as it would be; I'm completely smitten with you. You're so much... everything... that no girl I've met since has been able to measure up."

Yes, he was a human, and as such it would never work, and that's what horrified her. As long as she could convince herself it was just platonic, then it wasn't be _too _taboo. The right people could look the other way while she had a strong friendship with a mud-man. They'd be a _lot _less forgiving to think there was a legitimate romantic affection.

How messed up was this scenario? She _wanted _an affection to be unrequited. Which was why her heart was already dropping knowing what she had to do.

"Arty..." She began, disturbed by how breatheless that attempt sounded. "You... you know that can't work. It... just can't."

"We're from two different worlds, Arty. My people would never allow it, even if I wanted to. I am so very sorry. I shouldn't have led you on like this. I didn't realize how deep your affections had become. I shouldn't have hung around this long anyway. Frond, I'm so very sorry. I won't talk to you again. I won't blame you for thinking terrible things about me. I deserve it. Bye. Umm... yeah. Bye."

"Holly! Wait!" Artemis said frantically, but Holly didn't give him the chance, terminating the call and pushing her phone away. She then tossed it into the waste bin on the other side of her office space when he tried to call again. And buried it under a pile of blank crumpled up paper when he tried a third time.

At that point, Major Holly Short dropped her head onto her desk, and cried loud, bitter tears. Figures that she'd fall for some human that she could _never _have in the capacity she wanted. Of _course _she couldn't have been happy with an accomplished, stable elf like Commander Kelp. Of _course _she had a rebel streak a mile wide. Because hell if she could _ever _have a stable, happy life. That would apparently disrupt some sort of cosmic balance.

Foaly's face flashed on the display of her workstation, and the centaur said, "Ya know, had anyone told me I'd be concerned when a friend has a_ short _communication with a mudboy I'd... whoa!" The exclamation came once Foaly processed Holly's distressed state. "Holly! Holly! Hey now... ummm... what happened? What'd Fowl do? Come on, Holly... talk to me."

She didn't raise her head, not wanting Foaly to see her like this. "Artemis... told me he was in love with me."

"Oh!" Foaly yelped. She doubted he was surprised by that; he and N°1 loved to tease Holly about that very thing at least twice daily. But the implications quickly settled in, and the centaur followed it up with a much more morose, "Ohhhh... and you had to let him down."

Holly nodded slowly.

Despite the gravity of the scene, Foaly couldn't let it go without one quip. "Or, is it more that you had to let _yourself _down, I wonder?"

"Shut up, Foaly." Holly grumbled, "I just lost a best friend, okay?"

The centaur clicked his tongue, "Now, come on... don't be like that. Fowl's pretty smart for a mud-man. I think he knows damn well that the two of you couldn't be a real item. Give it a day, decompress, and then give him another call."

Holly finally lifted her head, using her sleeve to wipe away the tears. "You... really think so?" She asked hopefully.

"The two of you have worked through betrayal, mutual distrust, and more potential global catastrophes than can be counted on two hands. I find it _extremely _hard to believe that one admission of fancy would ruin _everything_."

Holly attempted to say something that came out as a sniffle.

"And if _that _doesn't work, you can always try and find the Fey and have them turn you into a human." Foaly joked, then grew serious when he noticed Holly's incredulous expression. "That was a _joke_. Please tell you you weren't actually thinking about that."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Of _course _not." The unsaid part was that she only hadn't thought about it because the idea hadn't even occurred to her.

The Fey were a fairy tale in a world of fairy tales. Their interaction with the rest of the Lower Elements, especially after the retreat of the People underground, was sparse at best. What little remains of the knowledge of the Fey was urban legends at best, stories the Fey seemed to care little to correct if they were wrong.

There were records of them turning fairies into humans (or other things) on said fairy's request; though it was said they always exacted a price, a price that varied depending on the record and the fairy involved. The deals were never fair, and often carried stipulations that made the change far worse than what was before.

Foaly interrupted her line of thought, "Although I wouldn't speak about this little episode to Commander Kelp. I know you two aren't a thing anymore, but you know how worked up he gets whenever you start talking about 'Arty.'"

Holly's eyes narrowed and her lip curled crossly, "Shut up, Foaly."

The centaur laughed, "Come on, don't play coy with me. I'm probably one of the few people who know just what you and the Commander were arguing about when you both got tossed from that crunchball match."

"Shut. Up." She slowly growled.

Honestly, Holly was amazed that spat hadn't become front page gossip news. Perhaps it was fortunate that by the time the pair really started drawing attention, they had resorted to punching, kicking, and biting.

At the time, Holly didn't understand why Trouble had gotten so angry. It had been a simple comment that Artemis would _never _take her to a place like this, and escalated rapidly with Trouble venting his frustration about "always being compared to that mudboy."

It took time, and the events at the Beserker's Gate for her to accept that she had indeed been doing that through all of her dates with Trouble. Everything he did she had compared to what Artemis would have done. It had been pretty sickeningly transparent when she let herself accept her feelings; even though she knew they could never be returned.

Foaly laughed, feeling he had successfully jarred Holly out of her doldrums. "That's the girl I know! But honestly, seriously, give 'Arty' a call tomorrow. Lay it all out, and see what happens from there. He might surprise you by understanding, if he doesn't already."

* * *

Holly did sleep on it, and decided Foaly was wrong.

Why call him when she could show up in person?

It wasn't exactly difficult to manage, after all. Holly was always way ahead on her paperwork, and as she had no team that reported directly to her, and her class only met once a week, so there was no obligation that kept her to her office outside of a handful of days. She could report a personal day, flash her credentials at the tube of her choosing, then hop up to the surface.

From there, she'd activate her holo-camo (one of Foaly latest inventions that created a life-like human projection of herself that other humans could even think they were touching (due to magical feedback that fooled the human nerves and brain). It was amazing how people wouldn't just pass right through something that they didn't think they could.

"I've come to discover the human mind is a frighteningly powerful thing." Foaly had said at some point last year. "If the mudmen ever figure out how to use it properly..."

He had said that after humans had rebounded from the collapse of Opal-influenced technology in five years rather than the thirty to fifty that experts among the people predicted it would take. At this point, it was almost like barely anything had happened. The Holly pre-Artemis would have been terrified by that. The Holly now was proud to see it.

There was a lot of good in humanity, and so much potential to do that good.

"Major." Commander Kelp said when Holly made the call to inform him of her personal day request. "I had a feeling you would call. I need to you come downtown. It's... a big deal."

She contemplated deploying her wings and flying to the LEP Main Station, but figured that it might cause a panic, and the People in Haven were already high strung enough with the fear mongering being shoved down their throats by the LEAF and their Council supporters. It'd probably start a riot.

So she took the public shuttle, and the twenty minute winding path downtown.

Trouble wasn't at his desk when he summoned her into his office. Instead, he was looking out at the city through the halfway opened blinds. This wasn't good. He always had bad news when he looked contemplative.

"The Council has turned over administration and operations of all surface tubes and stations over to LEAF." He said simply, explaining why he was holding his hands in front of him. He didn't want Holly to see them clenched into fists so tight he was borderline drawing blood. "They have been reclassified as military border outposts."

He turned, moving his hands behind his back in the process. "Everyone Major rank and higher is now prohibited to make surface trips outside of the required rituals to maintain their magical levels, and will have LEAF escorts at all times. I think you can figure out what that means."

Holly grit her teeth, deciding rage was better than crying. She knew damn well what it was. She was the only higher ranking officer that took any leave to the surface, and by giving control of the paths to the surface to LEAF, she wouldn't be able to slip by LEP patrons on the down-low like before.

It was another damn "broad reach" policy that only affected one person; herself.

"As much as I have no problem with locking you down underground, I don't like losing authority to do it." Trouble grumbled. "I want to blame you and your reckless flaunting of regulations..."

"How _dare _you!" Holly screeched.

Trouble turned away, again shifting his hands. "But..." He said with a raised voice to get her attention, "I know, in reality, you're just collateral damage in this power shift, and that if it wasn't you it'd just be someone else they'd flaunt as a reason."

Easy for _him_ to say, Holly thought to herself. _He _wasn't the one being targeted by this garbage.

"I'm granting your personal day, Major Short. Take several. Take some time off somewhere not here and not on the surface." His voice grew softer and apologetic, "I know it's not much, and I know you feel punished enough as it is."

Holly nodded, and saluted silently. She had expected to be crying on the inside, absolutely bereaved at this systematic ostracizing against her. But instead, she found herself determined. If the Lower Elements didn't want her; fine. She knew someone who did.

But it was going to require some underhanded tactics to get what she needed.

She opened up her handheld computer, tapped out a short command, and offered it forward. "I'll need your thumbprint, as usual."

As she had expected and hoped, Trouble didn't give her handheld even a first look; offering his signature to what was a blank order sheet. Once she left, she'd type out the orders herself and file them low priority where it wouldn't get even a passing glance from Internal Affairs.

She'd need access to classified archives within the local database. Easily enough done, and none of them would be too highly restricted anyway. She'd need some equipment, but just flashing the order to Foaly would get them without too many questions asked.

She wasn't going to jump into it haphazardly, unlike what some would think her idiom. It was going to take some research, and not just to learn as much as she could about her quarry and what she could expect.

But Major Holly Short was going to find the Fey, and see if they could make an offer she couldn't refuse.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

That next morning, Holly arrived at the Case Archives for the LEP with her fake orders ready. One of the advantages of being rendered irrelevant was that no one really gave a second thought to any low priority orders you presented them, and only cared if someone else with a higher priority came with a similar request.

Holly doubted _anyone _was going to be requesting the same information she was. It was a suspicion she confirmed when she was informed the case files she sought weren't even viewable electronically, only kept in hard copy in the archive's basement. She was escorted to the stairwell, the door unlocked, then wished luck by the library pixie who was no doubt overworked as it was.

Holly knew that resorting to material that was unreliable at best could potentially be disastrous, but it was all she had available for background information on the enigmatic Fey that would hopefully be her way out of her current miserable existance. She wanted to know more about the other fairies who went this route, where the deals went wrong, and if those pitfalls were ones she could avoid.

One thing that she realized was how many of the tales had parallels in human literature, although passed down no doubt through an oral tradition rather than studiously recorded warped the details considerably.

For example, the first casefile, pertaining to a pixie that had fallen in love with a human prince in what was now northern France; she had used Fey transformation to become a human princess, most notably intricate glass slippers that she could use to prove her identity (as well as serving as a key to her personal wealth) after the royal ball where she introduced herself.

The humans made the pixie a human commoner (the details varied depending on the telling), and the Fey was a "fairy godmother." No note of fairy gold had been made, and the human tale had her living happily ever after. In reality, the pixie grew jaded by rustic human life, and the prince had many affairs with commoners (likely where the pixie _became _a commoner in the human version), leading to a vicious fight where the former pixie went on a murderous rampage, killing the prince, their two children, and herself.

Another case file happened in Greece, with similar results almost to the letter. The elf Medea, married a human prince of Thessaly, allowing the Fey to turn her human to be with him. This prince turned out to have little love for her, trading her off for a different woman later in life. In revenge, the former elf killed her two sons and cursed both herself and the father of her children. At least the human version came across as similar, even noting that Medea was _not _of human ancestry; but getting said ancestry _completely _wrong and not acknowledging fey transformation was involved.

The last case file that came across as relevant dealt with a water sprite (the humans called it a mermaid), who used fey magic to become human, again to win the heart of a human prince.

Why was it they were all women and all fascinated with human nobles, Holly wondered. She jerked herself back on task by reminding her _she _was a woman, and that Artemis Fowl wasn't exactly a human peasant by any stretch of the imagination either. She really wasn't in much position to judge.

At any rate, this sprite found that the prince, while enamored, didn't consider her marriage material, already having a fiance of his own. In despair, she drowned herself rather than return in shame.

It was unique from the other case files in that it was only one that mentioned the fey's price for the transformation, the sprite's voice... which seemed like a very odd price, and one Holly doubted was accurate. However, this price was also given in the human version... but the humans labeled the Fey as a singular "sea witch."

The problems that these fairies faced led to probably the most important question Holly had to answer. Could such a relationship even be _possible? _Could two people of such drastically different natures and nurtures be a sustainable one?

In the last case, something that caught Holly's eye was how the human version of the tale changed over time. The initial telling of their version played out similarly to the actual case, although with some superfluous garbage about the sea-witch offering a second deal that was not the least bit reflected in the actual case file.

However, more recent tellings of the tale followed in line with the "happily ever after" tone of the first case. Holly actually remembered watching it with Artemis during one of her trips to the surface. Other fairy tales showed similar morphing. Where initial fairy tales painted the People as something to at the very best be wary of, if not fear; modern tales held much less animosity.

It confirmed what she had seen from her own experience; humans were changing, slowly perhaps, but they were. Fairies weren't something humans feared universally anymore. In most cases, fairies were a curiosity more than a threat... and sometimes... something to love.

She knew of _one _human-fairy relationship right away, because it was an end she saw play out first hand; Turnball Root and his human wife. Even at the time, she noted that the two earnestly loved each other; and while the ending was tragic, it was more because Turnball resorted to despicable crimes to try and prolong his wife's life.

Holly, on the other hand, was prepared to do the opposite. She knew human life spans were _far _shorter than a fairies. She was more than willing to sacrifice 800 years of her life for 80 with Artemis. Hell, she'd probably put herself out of her misery at this rate anyway.

Meanwhile, in all these other examples, the fairies either barely knew the target of their affections, or not at all. They rushed into love without even knowing who they were supposedly in love _with_.

That was _certainly _not the case with her and Artemis. Sometimes, she felt she knew him too _well_. Over the years, they went from loathing to loving. Adversaries, allies, then best friends until reaching whatever they could call themselves now.

She knew that, despite all appearances and his insistence on being seen in public wearing highest of fashion, that privately he had taken to wearing much more comfortable shirts and khakis. She knew that he had also grown fond of cold pizza for breakfast (which was a decidedly odd trait considering his upbringing).

She knew that he had a very certain way his bathroom cabinet could be arranged, and the slightest alteration made him rather cross (she had decided to leave a toothbrush at his flat without telling him; you would have thought she had let Mulch Diggums take up residence in his washroom).

She knew that he had come to like flying, even if he preferred being the one piloting (like hell, mudboy). She knew that he had become addicted to cat pictures on-line (okay, so had she). She knew that he still felt tremendous amounts of guilt for what he had done in the past, and missing so much of his twin brothers' lives (moments of very deep depression that wrenched Holly's heart).

Holly Short knew Artemis Fowl better than anyone, human or fairy. And through it all, despite knowing his faults and foibles, was hopelessly in love with him anyway. It was not likely that outside factors like money were ever going to be an issue (though Holly really wasn't concerned with being poor; it wasn't like she was rolling in gold as it was). If that wasn't enough to build a strong, lasting relationship on... what was?

Her fact finding mission didn't tell her a good many things; like where to find the Fey or what to expect them to demand of her in exchange, but it _did _reassure her that the failings of those that came before were _not _inevitable or immutable, and did not apply to her case. She was ready to proceed further down the rabbit hole, so to speak.

* * *

Her path, however, nearly came to a horrible end when Trouble called her to his office two days later.

He was sitting behind his desk when Holly arrived, his eyes penetrating and suspicious. This... could be _very _bad.

"So, I learned that you were at the archives two days ago." Trouble said, his voice flat, though the sense of accusation hung heavily in the air.

Holly nearly panicked. Did he find out about her forgery? But her logical mind forced her to remain calm. If he had found out about _that_, she wouldn't be having this meeting here. It'd be down in the interrogation room, and she'd be in restraints. "Yes, sir. I was."

"Why? I believe I gave you permission to take some personal days."

Holly initially began formulating a story, and figured the best way for her to buy time in order to formulate it was by telling the truth. It would be something he'd likely follow up on anyway, and at the very least, it would throw off the scent for a little while. "I was doing research for my class. Dealing with fey transformations and their impact in Human-People relations."

Trouble seemed perplexed, and it didn't serve to sate his suspicion. "Why would you do that?" He asked warily.

"Because they are stories that the humans and us share to some extent. They're a good starting point for finding a common ground, and something that I was missing in my original curriculum."

Trouble shook his head, and rephrased, "No... I mean, why do that at all? You _hate _that class, you barely do what you're required to. Why do the extra work now?"

Holly now felt he had her story set, and launched into it confidently, "I did. And maybe I still do. But... maybe that's how I fight this pressure on me, you know? Yeah, maybe only two students out of thirty give half a goblin shit about it... but those are the two I need to focus on. Maybe that's how I can push back; one student at a time, one year at a time."

Holly's instinct was spot on, and _exactly _what Commander Trouble Kelp wanted to hear. Holly would have thought that after _years _of paying lip service and doing the exact opposite, that her superiors would be wise to it by now... but apparently not.

He smiled warmly, and said, "Ya know, Major Short, we might just make a proper elf out of you yet."

Trouble no doubt thought the smile Holly gave him was a pleased one for the compliment. In truth, Holly was wondering just what Trouble would think had he known the last thing Holly wanted to be was a proper elf...

Or an elf at all...

* * *

With her plans back on track, she still had one major hurdle to clear... _finding _the damn Fey. It was entirely unclear in her research just how others had done so, and considering how dumb they had to be to fall in love with total strangers, made her wonder how the Fey could remain undetected while fools stumbled onto their doorstep.

Holly had some ideas, but she was going to need equipment. She was going to need Foaly.

The centaur was, not surprisingly, a little taken aback by Holly's request. "Holly... uh... I did tell you that I was _joking_, right?"

Holly slapped him on the shoulder, "Of course you did. I'm not going to change myself into a human, but Trouble and I want the Fey to _think _I'm turning on the People. It's a perfect opportunity. I have all the signs of a disillusioned elf, and that could be my way inside."

"The Fey are _bad _news." Foaly said with uncertainty. He did _not _like this plan at all, and he thought it was _real._

Holly imagined what his reaction would be if he knew it was _fake_.

"Yes, they're bad news, which is why the sooner we can get inside and blow the cover off what they are doing, the better Trouble and the LEP can sleep at night. Surely you remember how it used to gnaw at Julius?"

That actually wasn't a lie. On the rare occasions that their old mentor and father-like figure would let his guard down (usually after a handful of stiff drinks), he would reveal that it bothered him there was this legendary group of powerful magicians who lived outside the law and could exist without being held accountable for anything they may or may not do. It wouldn't be a stretch at all that Trouble, who had adored Julius to the point of disturbing discomfort, would have taken those flights of fancy to heart.

"Maybe... but... I..." Foaly stumbled over himself. He didn't like being without words. "Are you sure this will even work?"

Holly shook her head. "Not at all. Which is why it's a low priority mission. It's a wild stab in the dark. On top of that, I think Trouble has little expectation of success; I suspect he thinks it's just something to keep me busy."

That got Foaly to laugh. "I suppose that's true."

Playing it off as a rather unimportant thing was crucial to Holly's plan. Throwing it out as a silly flight of fancy meant it was less likely that Foaly would be willing to bring it up at all to Trouble. As much like Foaly's relationship with Trouble's predecessor, the working relationship was a strained one, and communication between the technical officer and the commander was done only when absolutely necessary.

Foaly looked at the manifest Holly had provided, and nodded quickly, "None of this will be difficult to obtain. Most of it I have already. You think the Fey is using some sort of camo to hide their den?"

"They're using _some _form of magic, obviously. They _have _to be using energy to fuel it. I figure that maybe these sensors will pick up some clues, and I can work from there. I'll spend my free days dropping them off, swing back a couple days later, and see what they find."

* * *

And that answer was "less than nothing."

Granted, it had been roughly a week, and she hadn't even really begun to scan even an eighth of the Lower Elements. But she had a gut instinct as to potential hiding places, and had went to those places first... and the results had been dismally depressing.

She was at a favorite cafe of hers in downtown Haven, looking over the results on her handheld from her latest prospective site while having lunch; an open magma field that was believed to have an empty chamber below it. The preliminary report showed nothing. Nada. Jack squat.

It was depressing to say the least. She had at least been hoping for a sign she was on the right track.

She was half-aware of someone taking a seat across from her at the open air table, but it didn't draw her full attention. Such was not uncommon; as it was a popular eatery and seating was often limited especially at this hour of the day.

It _was _uncommon when the time remained 12:07 for five minutes, though.

"I was wondering when you would notice."

The taunt came from the man across from her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she got a good look at him. It was easy to see why he didn't cause any alarm initially; he looked like a perfectly average elf at a sideways glance; crew cut ginger hair, walnut colored skin, a little chubby but hardly obese...

But those wholly black eyes kinda screamed, "not normal."

At that point, Holly discovered the rest of the problem. Haven had been frozen in place, people in a dead stop, unmoving. Vehicles as if they were parked in the middle of the street, and flyers frozen in the sky above.

"What... is this?" Holly asked, "A time stop? In the middle of Haven? You'll have the whole of the LEP and the LEAF on our heads the moment this dispels!"

"Time to you is much like a river to one such as me. It can be redirected and altered... it can even be dammed to a trickle." The man said, his voice shifting from elfish... to something else. It was both deep yet soft, so perfect in tone and pitch with every syllable that it struck her ears as unnatural. "Do not insult my magics with the comparison your crude 'time stops.' Time is a relative, fluid thing, what is a year to one person can be nary a blink of an eye to another. We are right now experiencing the river of time at a speed far slower than anyone else. Your LEP and LEAF won't descend upon us like vultures because, to them, nothing is amiss."

"What? How?"

"I will not waste too much of my energy explaining our mastery of disciplines beyond your understanding, but I'll offer this attempt. The paradoxical death of Opal Koboi did considerable damage, did it not?"

Holly nodded slowly.

"Yet, ask yourself... why did it limit itself to just her technology? Wouldn't it stand to reason that _anything _she touched, even tangentially, should have been irreparably altered as well? Aren't you taught that cause and effect are inexorably tied together, and that all events are bound to one another?"

Again, Holly acknowledged the statement with a nod.

"All of time should have collapsed upon itself... and it would have... if I and my kin had not stopped the damage when we did. Such is the depth of our mastery."

"What are you?" Holly asked, though she answered her own question not even a second later. "You're one of the Fey."

"One does not search for the Fey, for the Fey cannot be found." Her visitor said. "The Fey find _you._ Congratulations, Major Holly Short. We have found you. You seek our counsel, you seek to deal with us. Oh yes, my dear, we know what you seek, and you have been deemed worthy to trade with us."

He raised his right hand, and a small slip of paper materialized in his fingers. Pressing it tight onto the table surface, he slowly slid it across the table surface until it was in front of Holly. "This has directions that only you will be able to see. Come alone at the designated time, and tell no one of this arrangement, or the deal will be void, and we will never approach you again."

He stood, pushing out his chair, and with a shade of a bow said in parting, "Have a pleasant lunch, Major Short. We will see you tomorrow at the chosen time."

In the time it took Holly to blink, the Fey was gone, and the clock ticked to 12:08, and normal life resumed; only the sheet of paper still resting in front of her any sign that anything unusual had occurred. She swiftly grabbed it and studied its contents, committing it to memory just in case she somehow lost it.

This was the opportunity she had been waiting for, and she wasn't going to miss it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Holly had expected that her latest destination would draw some interest, and even had a story planned if Trouble actually deigned to ask. She _was _a bit of a danger seeker after all; she felt the reason would have been accepted... but Trouble didn't even bother, just thumbing the time off request without even an indifferent shrug.

The Face of the Lower Elements was in truth an edge of the continental shelf connecting the Eurasian and African tectonic plates. Seismic activity was prevalent, and the entire geological strata was unstable to say the least. Holly had ignored the area for scanning because it seemed so very inhospitable for permanent structures.

Then again, for a people who could manipulate time like others dam a river, what's an earthquake really?

The rail ended an hour's flight from her destination at that; but fortunately the population was so sparse that she felt she could deploy her wings without causing a panic. This was a good thing, because she was running late, and this was _one _meeting she did _not _wish to be late for.

The cavern wall loomed ever more ominously as she approached the designated location. A half-kilometer of earth separating the cavern from the Mediterranean Sea above and the harsh unpredictability of a major fault line might seem like a lot, but in the grand scale of geology it was analogous to sitting in front of a furnace with a sheet of paper as protection.

Which was why the second thing she noticed was the braces and levee systems above, and the long columns of steel that anchored into the more stable rock below... although as a part of the oceanic crust it wasn't exactly the most stable of strata to begin with.

Outside of the small cadre of civil engineers and mechanics who maintained the equipment, this part of the Lower Elements was as uninhabited as anywhere. By that criteria, it would be a great hiding place to stay out of sight.

The meeting location was a barren stretch of rock a good kilometer away from any brace or other sign of civilization. There wasn't even any sign of the Fey she was supposed to meet. Worried that she had missed her deadline, she consulted her wrist-mounted computer. 1:29.

So she still had a couple of minutes, by her reckoning. The Fey's instructions were for her to be present at solar noon, which was 1:31 by Haven reckoning. Now she was worried that she had arrived too early, and would potentially draw attention that would scare the Fey off.

Her fears were unfounded. Precisely at the solar noon, she felt the hairs on her neck stiffen from an undetectable energy and a sense of foreboding drop upon her surroundings. The Fey were here.

Reality seemed to split in front of her like a curtain, only an inky blackness behind the parted world. And from there, they emerged.

Holly had expected them to be like what she had seen the day before, elf-like but with black eyes. She had been wrong. Well, she was right about the eyes, but nothing else.

The pair of Fey that floated through the gap in reality were well over two meters tall and gangly even with the black robes providing cover for their frames. Their faces were sunken, yet smooth, lips thin and drawn, entirely black eyes that seemed to take up half of their faces drawn deep into the skull, no eyebrows, and barely anything resembling a nose. The arms were also unnaturally long, with bony fingers equally out of proportion, and she figured the legs and feet would be the same had they been visible.

Both Fey pulled back their hoods to reveal thin strands of hair that literally gleamed like silver, and absurdly long pointed ears that curved around the back of their skulls.

Every instinctual action in her body and mind screamed, "Run." But by that point, fleeing was not an option in her mind. Not that she could move anyway, her limbs held fast by a mix of terror that paralyzed her.

They didn't speak. The one to her left merely extended a bony index finger, and beckoned her forward, while the other gestured with its arms for her to step through the tear.

Her legs _really _didn't want to comply, but a silent insistence that this was for Artemis, and their happiness, finally got the action she desired. Holly forced down her fear, and took as brave of steps as she could through the door...

Only to have that bravery abandon her on the other side, surrounded by six Fey who looked none too pleased at her presence.

Wherever she now stood was black as pitch, the only illumination had no visible source, and as the surroundings blended with their robes, the only thing she could see were the pale heads and lanky hands of the six in a tight circle around her, glaring down at her with an indifference that could have just as easily been outright malice.

"Calm yourself, elfin." One of the Fey said, though she couldn't tell which as none of the lips of those in her vision moved. When she turned to locate said speaker, another one behind her took up the role.

"You are in shifting phase."

"Our den does not exist wholly on your reality."

"We exist in a limbo between Earth and the Grey."

"You will see more as you come into phase with us."

As annoying as it was to never actually see who was speaking at any given time, they were correct. With each second, more details of her surroundings became clear. The black retreated, although what replaced it wasn't entirely comforting either.

The geometry of everything seemed... off. Above her a series of what felt like parallel girders intersected at the other wall. The way they merged suggested that the wall was far shorter than its twin, yet it didn't _feel _like it.

The Fey Den that now she was now inside of... wait... _was _she inside the den? It seemed like an exterior, though there were walls all about now. And the girders above, held up nothing. Yet there was no sky. Now the walls appeared at skewed angles, though simple geometry suggested they would have to add up to a number her mind couldn't process.

"You are not inside."

"I would also recommend you not worry."

"The physics of this realm are not yours."

"You will only go mad trying to understand them."

For all the attempts to be comforting, they were doing a _miserable _job of it. But perhaps it was advice to be heeded. It certainly wasn't doing her any good going cross-eyed looking around.

The Fey then all turned in the same direction, to the north (maybe?), and the head of the procession said with its back turned to her, "Come. Follow."

A small hole in the wall expanded as they approached, yet only seemed to get further away the more they walked... until it was abruptly right in front of her, forming a porthole of sorts leading to an interior room that she couldn't quite perceive. Her escorts had shifted all behind her, but as she turned to face them, another Fey voice from inside said.

"Major, please enter. I assure you that you will find it much more stable to your sensibilities in here."

She didn't need to be told twice. She hopped through the porthole, into the interior, and certainly enough, her brain was thankful for it.

Her surroundings were instantly more sorted out, and she could now clearly tell she was in a circular room, bare walls of stone with glowing orbs of light hovering along the perimeter. Another Fey was waiting for her, his black robe trimmed with silver runes of a language she had never seen.

Like the others, it turned away to speak. "Inside the den, we establish laws more akin to what you are used to. Welcome, Major Holly Short. I am Zartoo, acting Magister of the Fey of the Lower Elements."

With a sense of normalcy restored, Holly found chief among her thoughts to be annoyance. "Alright. Why do you all refuse to look at me while talking?"

Zartoo demonstrated why when he rotated back around and spoke with a mouth filled with rows of dagger-like fangs resembling a shark's maw. "We have found that guests were taken aback by our display of teeth."

Holly was rather proud that she kept her reaction to a bug-eyed, "Oh."

A long two seat sofa appeared behind her, and as she turned to process the red leather seating, Zartoo said, "Sit. Please. There are some things we must discuss before we proceed."

Holly agreed, "We do, in fact." Having seated, she looked back towards the Fey Magister, and discovered he was now seated in a chair made of similar materials.

Zartoo got right to the matter without further pleasantries. "First, I want you to be fully aware of just what you are asking for. Changing to a human isn't simply a new body. It's an entirely new life. A life that is much shorter than the one you know. Elves can easily live past 900 years. You will be fortunate to see a tenth of that time as a human."

"I am aware." Holly replied.

"In addition, I cannot imagine that fairykind has become all that much accepting of humans, especially ones that know of fairy secrets. You will become an enemy to those who were once your friends."

Holly had already done that math as well. "Believe it or not, I have more friends on the surface with the humans than below with my kind."

"You sound so certain of that, Major." Zartoo said warily.

"I'm not like most that have come to you, Magister Zartoo." Holly explained. "I've spent considerable time on the surface. I've been a part of their world already. There are those who already accept me there, as I am. I do not believe becoming one of them will change that affection."

The Fay drummed his fingers together in front of his face. "You may be correct on that, Major. But it is important, for my sake, that I be at ease with this deal. Far too many times, fairies have made deals with us that have gone badly, and blamed _us _for their lack of foresight. It's given us a fairly poor reputation among the Lower Elements. My predecessor cared little about that reputation. I, on the other hand, would like to be able to show myself in Haven as I really am and not face an army of LEP wanting to shackle me for the stupidity of their citizens."

"Helping fairies defect to the surface isn't going to engender any good will with the people who set that sentiment." Holly noted.

"True. But these arrangements often give us other things that are of use to us while we wait for the day that our reputations are less sullied. So, in this case, it is warranted."

To which Holly replied, "Which brings us to the price you want me to pay."

Zartoo nodded. "Indeed, Major. So let's get right to it. We require your LEP credentials."

Holly blinked. That really was _not at all _what she was expecting. "Really? _That's_ what you want? Not my soul... or something?"

Zartoo laughed, a sound she had not expected to come from a Fey, yet just as unnatural to her ears. "Not even the oldest among us practice the ancient soul magic. It is a very... dirty and uncomfortable art. Best left to eras before even the fairies had an oral tradition. Rest assured, Major, a Fey has _never _asked for a soul, and I see no reason why we would ever _want _one."

Holly was quite relieved by that. There _were _a lot of very old fairy legends of magics and artifacts that were fueled by souls. They were very dark, very scary stories that were still used to scare fairy children into obedience. Her short experience in the Fay Den had stirred up many of those stories in her own memories.

"The reason we desire your LEP credentials is fairly benign and boring, I'm afraid." Zartoo continued. "About two years ago, your technology was upgraded with an operating system foreign to us, and one that we couldn't infiltrate."

Holly remembered that upgrade. INFOS, it had been called. Foaly had been irate that the LEP and LEAF was imposing this "hackneyed, mass produced operating system" onto his "beautiful and carefully designed hardware." Within three months, he reluctantly admitted that it was faster, more-responsive, more customizable, and less prone to critical faults than anything he had designed. "Guess thirty heads _can _be better than one sometimes." He had groused.

Zartoo jolted her attention back to the situation at hand. "Using your credentials, we would finally get that inside presence we need. Knowing that the Lower Elements are always giving sideways attention to finding us, as well as where and how they are looking, will help us remain out of sight and largely out of mind."

"If this turns out the way we both hope, those credentials won't be good for much longer."

The Fey Magister was unconcerned. "All we need is the door in. We can set up our own ears once inside." He then asked, "Will that be a suitable trade for you, Major Short?"

"If that's honestly all you require."

"It is not a Fey's manner to add stipulations after a deal is made. What we ask of you now is all we ever will." Zartoo said. "Would you like our deal in writing to ease your mind?"

The Fey didn't wait for Holly's answer, a leaf of parchment like gold appearing between him and Holly. With a flick of his fingers, his signature appeared on the top line, then floated in front of her, an ink quill popping into existence above her right hand at the same time.

It was a fairly simple document, yet one that left little room for interpretation. Holly was used to contracts that went on for pages and covered every possible stipulation. Fey contracts were apparently quite simple; it listed what they were giving, what you were giving, and nothing else could ever be included or removed at any time. The Fey would not be allowed to add anything...

… And Holly would never be able to go back.

Her resolve wavered at the finality of it. As bad as things were now, was there any reason to think they would always be this way? Was it really worth giving up the entire life she knew to get away from it?

Then she thought about Artemis... about watching him grow old while she remained vital, seeing his life end and hers going on, and what her decision was really about. At some point, it had stopped being about what she was leaving, and where she was going. This was about making a full life with someone who cared about her; not some silly bureaucrats with an axe to grind and fear to peddle.

And from that, signing her name was easy.

The contract then rolled up in something a third its original size and dropped into her hands. With confusion, she held up the now bound gold parchment and asked, "You don't want this?"

Zartoo had already stood and had been ready to leave. "I know what deal was made. That was entirely for your benefit. Here, put it in this and follow."

A red handbag dropped right into her lap, and Zartoo said, "That will contain the necessary documentation for your new identity on the surface. As far as the humans know, you are Amelia Ponder from Surrey. By the time your transformation and acclimation is complete, the necessary memories will be implanted in the right people, and you will be cleared to be sent to the surface world."

Holly did as suggested, finding that the contract shrunk even smaller to be non-conspicuous once inside. She then hopped off the sofa in pursuit of Zartoo when said handbag smacked her ankles and plopped to the ground. "This thing is... awfully big." She said.

"Of course it is. It's a human handbag. You'd look terribly silly walking around on the surface with an elfish one, don't you think?"

Holly clenched her eyes in embarrassment. "Right. Sorry."

"Now come along. It's time to fashion your new body."

* * *

Zartoo led Holly down two levels, into another circular room and another Fey waited in front of a two meter tall block of shimmering brown clay underneath a torrent of crystal clear and sparkling water. He (or she, Holly supposed... maybe they were all female), unlike the other Fey, had no problems looking at her and smiling broadly to reveal that menacing maw.

"Major Short, this is Nebazanar, he is the Living Claysmith. He will be the one in charge of fashioning your human body that you will transform into.

Holly was so relieved to have someone here display a personality and have no problems speaking directly to her that she was able to ignore that he looked like he was about to rip out her neck with his teeth.

"I'll take it from here, Magister. No doubt you have a hundred other things you could be doing."

Holly reached into the breast pocket of her suit, "I should give you..."

Zartoo flashed Holly's credential card between the fingers of his right hand. "Already have it. Acquired it the moment the contract was signed. I shall return once the transformation is finished and we begin the acclimation process."

The magister disappeared in a flash, leaving her alone with the claysmith.

"Alright, dear girl, how do you want to look?" Nebanazar asked, then seeing Holly's blank expression, he explained, "The living clay here can take any shape you wish. You don't like your hair color? We can change it! Eyes? No problem? Want to be taller than a troll? Have a hooked nose? Want skin like ivory? Consider it done! The human form is remarkably varied... just about anything goes! I do so love it more than most others."

"You've done other transformations?" Holly queried.

Nebanazar nodded vigorously. "Oh indeed. One time there was a djinni who came to us, wanted to change himself into a giant cobra twenty meters long to get the better of a rival. It was kinda sad really."

"Oh?"

The claysmith shook his head in dismay. "Tried to tell him. Turning into a giant snake _never works_. You just look really silly when you're killed by a giant spider."

Holly blinked rapidly. "A giant spider?"

"His rival. Came to me to be transformed into a massive tarantula thirty meters long. That didn't end too happily either. Tried to tell _him _that a giant spider only works against giant snakes."

"What happened to the rival?"

"Killed by a human with a torch in a tar field. Boy then went on to claim the princess both of the djinni lusted after." He said with dismay, only to brighten back up and say, "But enough of the past, dear girl. How do _you _want to look?"

Holly had never even considered that it was possible to change her appearance so drastically. She just figured that it'd be roughly who she was now, only human, kinda like...

With a bolt of inspiration, she activated her holo-camo, and asked. "Can you see this? Can we do something like this?"

Nebanazar nodded enthusiastically. "It's a good starting point! Now, let's get to work!"

The fey's long fingers twiddled over the clay, and it followed his ministrations. Nebanazar more looked like a sculptor than a smith, really, as the material bent and flowed with each gesture and ministration. He never once looked back at the holo-camo image, and even told Holly that she could turn it off after a handful of minutes.

Slowly, but surely, the image of Holly as a human took shape. "Truth be told, I could make it quicker, and let your form fill in the details when they merged." He admitted at about the hour mark, rolling his fingers to form texture in what would become her new hair. "But I like working it all out by hand. Feels more genuine that way, don't you agree?"

Holly actually found herself fascinated by the process, and waved him off approvingly. "I wouldn't dream of questioning a master at work."

"Hah!" The claysmith chirped happily, "I do like you so!"

Still the slow process came into further shape, and Holly felt her boldness rising. She _was _doing this for Artemis as much as her... "Nebanazar, you said you could do _any _alterations... right?"

"Of course!" He boasted, having just put the finishing touches on her nose. "What would you like? Big pouty lips? Maybe some bright blue eyes? Humans do seem to adore blue eyes."

Holly flushed. She almost couldn't believe she was about to suggest this. "Actually... could you give me a little more..." she then grabbed her chest for emphasis, "Here?"

Nebanazar chuckled, "Absolutely. Breasts seem to be what is 'in' among the humans lately." With a swooping of his hands below the clay figure's chest, he drew his hands back and the clay's chest filled out... and inflated to cartoonish proportions.

"Whoa." Holly said sharply. "Too much. _Way _too much."

The claysmith winked, a gesture that looked odd, even for the oddity that was Fay expressions. "Oh, I know. Just teasing." He then reversed the movement, shaping the chest into a much more suitable size.

Then Holly gave it some thought and said, "Now... let's see what we can do about those hips..."

* * *

It was another hour of fine tuning, but Holly found herself immensely pleased by the result.

Nebanazar agreed, nodding happily. "Brilliant, if I do say so myself."

It looked perfect, as far as Holly thought, especially after the claysmith had worked the color into the clay. That... would be her. It already _felt _like her.

"Alright, dear girl, next step!" The claysmith said. "Get undressed!"

Holly was taken aback by the command. "Say what?"

He pointed at the clay. "_She's _naked, isn't she? You have to be to! Clothes muck up the entire merging process. I know fairies have healing magic. Surely you know what happens when foreign matter is introduced into developing flesh!"

Holly slapped her forehead. Of _course _she knew that. Butler pretty much had a chest made of Kevlar because of it, and they both were pretty lucky that it hadn't been disastrous. "Right. Sorry. I'll... strip down quick."

"Don't worry about me, girl. You'd hardly be the first elf I've seen naked." Nebanazar said with a playful wink. "Though you'd be the prettiest."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Holly said with a roll of her eyes as she tugged down the zipper of her flight suit. She found herself reminded of stripping down to travel back with Artemis on the ill-fated mission to save his mother.

It had been one of the darkest times in their friendship, where she realized the lies he made to coerce her assistance. And yet, by the end of that misadventure... that was really where the romantic affection she had started to blossom. "In another time..." She whispered to herself as she slipped the straps of her underlayer off her shoulders. Then she smiled, "Better strap in, Arty. That time is coming."

Her modesty didn't let her turn to face the claysmith once she was naked. "There we go. Do your..."

She was interrupted by the Fey grabbing her around the neck, yanking her off her feet, and plunging her straight into the clay model. She shouted instinctively, her nose and throat quickly plugged by the clay and stealing her breath away.

Holly tried to struggle, but the clay seemed to harden and steal away her movement as well. She tried to cough, and found that bad air forced back into her spasming lungs. She couldn't breathe...

"Of course you can't breathe." Nebanazar said, as if surprised she would have that thought. "You're imbedded in clay. What do you expect?"

Why... was the Fey doing this?

"The clay will merge with your body, and come to life. If everything goes smoothly, your soul will then fill the new vessel, completing the transformation."

Her mind started to haze from lack of oxygen. What did he mean by that?

"Well, there's a possibility that your soul won't be able to accept the shock of the transformation, and you'll die. But that's very, very, very rare. I do exceptional work, after all!"

Any further questions Holly could have had were lost in the encroaching blackness of suffocation.

"I'll see you in a couple hours. Rest now. Best that you not be awake as the magic of the clay begins to do its work..."


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: Okay folks, this is the limit of what I had the chance to develop. From this point on, the best I can promise is that updates become sporadic at best. Sorry!_

**Chapter 6**

That Holly could see anything at all was a blessing as far as she was concerned. So she didn't particularly panic when she opened her eyes to a hazy distorted view of the world around her. That moment of disorientation was probably the only thing that saved the Fey that appeared in her clearing vision from having her hands around his neck.

Invisible hands restrained her as she shot up, arms lunging for the Fey, screaming with rage and murderous intent, gently pushing her back down.

The had _thought _the Fey she tried to attack was the claysmith, until it spoke in Zartoo's voice. Nonplussed by Holly's attack, the Magister noted, "Believe it or not, that's the typical reaction, Miss Short. Nebanazar really should be more straightforward with his intentions."

"They don't panic as much when they don't see it coming." The claysmith answered unrepentantly. "This way it's just instinctual reaction. Otherwise, they're tense through the whole thing, and it can cause problems."

The invisible force holding her down vanished, allowing Holly to sit up more slowly. A gold rimmed mirror popped in front of her face, and Nabanazar's voice asked, "Well... what do you think?"

Her human face looked back at her, exactly as it had appeared after the claysmith had done its work. It was _her_, finally. The changes surprised her as she ran her fingers along the rounded lobe of her ears. She _swore _she could still feel the points.

"Phantom sensations." Zartoo replied. "Your mind still thinks and processes your surrounding as if you were an elf. It will take time for it to adjust to your new human body and physiology. This is the beginning of the acclimation process. Once it is completed, you will be ready to join the surface world."

"How long will that take?" Holly asked, surprised by the change in her voice (though not a bad change honestly... she doubted some of her harsh vowels would sound like she was squeaking anymore). She found her impatience rising now that the change had finally happened, and found the idea of this acclimation process distasteful

Zartoo sounded indifferent to the question, his shoulders shifting in what could have been the Fey equivalent of a shrug. "That is hard to say. For some, it happens quickly. For others, it can take months."

"It better not take me months." Holly grumbled, shifting her legs so they dangled off the hovering cot she discovered she had been laying on. It was merely a few inches for her feet to reach the ground, and she slid forward, pushed herself up...

… Then tottered dangerously before falling forward flat on her face, yelping in pain.

"Your center of gravity has changed, both in relation to the ground as well as its location in regards to your body. Humans are more top-heavy than elves, and are taller. Your mind is still thinking from a lower center."

Holly forced herself back up to her feet, arms out for balance, as the magister continued. "Much of what your mind processed instinctively is no longer correct. You will have to relearn many of the things that came to you naturally; like walking."

Holly, however, found she was coming to terms with it faster than the Fey suspected. "It feels like I'm walking on stilts. But I'm used to that. Used to do it all the time when I was little. I liked feeling tall."

"Ever tried to _run _in stilts?" Zartoo queried.

"Well... no." Holly answered. "But I think I'll get the hang of it quickly enough. See?" She then dropped her arms, taking steadily confident steps forward, even if she occasionally teetered from side to side. She spied a doorway in front of her, and decided it was a good target to aim for. "Don't worry, I got this!"

Zartoo spied her destination, and warned. "Another thing is that your proportions have changed. Humans are wider and not as svelte. As a result, your spatial awareness is skewed, and you must be careful not to do things like run into..."

Holly had reached her goal, prepared to turn left, then smashed her shoulder painfully into the side of the doorway; the pain disrupting her thoughts and therefore balance, and causing her to fall over backwards with the back of her head bouncing painfully on the stone floor and sending stars cascading through her vision.

"Doorframes." Zartoo finished with a pained grimace.

Nebanazar had sidled up to the magister and quipped, "You _really _need to start finishing your warnings faster, Magister."

"Hurt... you. I... hurt you... all." Holly hissed while trying to decide which was in more pain, her head or her shoulder.

* * *

Her acclimation _did _proceed faster than most according to the Fey, however. Her time already spent on the surface had already prepared her on a social level; the former elf actually able to teach _them _a few things about the surface cultures.

And she _did _pick up the on the physical changes quickly, though she was a bit depressed to discover that she had lost a great deal of her natural dexterity and it wasn't returning swiftly.

"It's a consequence of being roughly three times more massive than you used to be. It takes several years of studious training for them to match an elf's inherent nimbleness." Nebanazar said, trying to comfort Holly after she attempted a back flip that went horribly awry.

It took the new human a few seconds to process the words through the painful throbs where she had landed on the top of her head. "I used to pick on Artemis for being so slow and lumbering. I never realized just how much of a disadvantage he had."

"Hah!" The claysmith laughed, "Oh, I'm sure he wasn't a physical specimen even among his kind."

"But even _I'm _a clumsy oaf!" She protested.

"No, you aren't. You're already above average in thirteen days time... at least to surface reckoning. If you keep working at it, I think you'd discover you could be every bit as light of foot as before. It would just be more effort to stay at that level."

"However, that is time that you really do not have at this moment." Zartoo declared as he entered the training room. "The LEP has discovered your forged orders. They are keeping things under wraps currently, and out of the LEAF's prying eyes... but it is only a matter of time before they are discovered, and you are deemed a renegade of the Lower Elements."

Holly had known this, but had figured she'd have a plan in place when that time came. She, however, did not. "D'Arvit!" She exclaimed.

"Language, dear lady!" Nebanazar replied.

"Oh, please. You were born before the flight underground." Holly snapped back. "I'm sure you've heard worse cursing."

Nebanazar shook his head. "Of course I have. But humans don't say 'd'arvit'. They say, 'fucking arse' or 'goddamn shite.'"

That earned the claysmith an angry glare from _both _Holly and Zartoo.

Holly then dropped her head, "I was hoping that I'd have a plan. But I took too long here, didn't I?"

Zartoo waved off the concern. "In your handbag you will find an address for a location on the surface. There, you will find sanctuary and aid. However, it will likely be a long travel for you and your friends, so I wouldn't waste time."

Holly jumped to said handbag, hanging from a hook where her day's clothes were also set out, and sure enough, there was a slip of white paper that had not been there before. Written in a human language on plain paper and with blue pen (likely in case it was found on the surface) was indeed an address.

* * *

**14095 Woodinville Redmond Road NE**

**Redmond, WA**

* * *

Holly blinked. It wasn't an address to anywhere she was used to, though she could have sworn she had seen something like it before, at Artemis's manor several years ago.

"It's in the United States." Zartoo said. "The state of Washington. I do not believe you have ever been there."

Holly's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How can... this place help me?"

Zartoo shook his head. "That I cannot tell you. Those who lord over that place would not take kindly to me talking so freely. You trusted us with your life. You need to trust us again. Go there."

Holly tucked the paper back into her handbag. "Very well. So how do I get to the surface?"

Zartoo closed the distance, and said, "Expose your shoulder. The right one."

Holly complied, and the Fey's thin fingers closed around said shoulder. A flash of violet light followed, and when Zartoo stepped back, there was an ornate tattoo-like insignia like an elaborate compass. "That is a Transposition Emblem, more old magic of the Fey, lost to fairy and human. With it, we can swap you with another person anywhere that carries the same mark. It should also buy you considerable time, as such methods bypass normal transportation that the Lower Elements could detect."

Holly examined the emblem more closely, and discovered it actually wasn't on her skin, but floating just above it. "Do I need to keep it exposed?"

"No." Zartoo replied before resuming his briefing. "Even though the LEP has discovered your duplicity, they have _not _reported it to LEAF. You have time, and it is fairly important that you _don't _act rashly and cause them alarm. I will maintain contact with you initially while monitoring the situation. Do _not _make your flight until I give you word."

"Are the Fey _normally _this helpful?" Holly wondered out loud.

Zartoo shook his head slowly. "No, but it seems like as good of a time as any to test our new listening systems. It's a mutually beneficial process. Nothing has been added or detracted from our arrangement, I assure you. Now, follow me. We must leave the den to transpose you. We'd rather not let the one we will use inside our home."

It turned out leaving the den meant leaving the phased reality that the Fey reside in entirely. Yet she was surprised that they didn't emerge into the Face of the Lower Elements. In fact, she wasn't exactly sure _where _she was.

"The LEP are searching where you entered our phase." Zartoo said. "Therefore, we left somewhere else." The magister closed his eyes, and said. "This is unfortunate."

Holly didn't like the sound of that. "What is unfortunate?"

"It would seem that our friend has moved in the last handful of hours. He is now in Cherbourg, France. And I would recommend that you run and make yourself scarce once you are transposed."

"Why?"

Zartoo frowned. "It seems our friend has gotten himself in a wee bit of trouble. You shouldn't be surprised, really. You know him, and how he tends to attract undesired attention from those he shouldn't antagonize."

Holly couldn't imagine who among her friends or associates could be running in the same circles as the Fey. "I do?"

"Yes. Mulch Diggums."

"_Wha...!_" Holly began to exclaim as she felt yanked out of her own skin and the world around her was put into a spin cycle.

"..._t?_" She finished when reality decided to slow down, she found herself in a dank alleyway off what she presumed was a French street. She guessed this because she was told that Mulch had been in France, and that three seconds later, five city police barged from the corner into the alley, guns drawn, shouting at her in French to not move, and tell them where the little person had run off to.

"Fucking arse." Holly grumbled as the officers took her into custody for questioning. If she _ever _saw Mulch Diggums again, she was going to _kill _kim.

* * *

Holly wouldn't leave France for another six days. Not due to anything tied to Mulch, at least... after all there was absolutely _no _evidence linking her to whatever crime the dwarf had tried to commit. But there was a slight problem in that the Fey hadn't given her quite _everything _she would need, especially when in a foreign country.

Like a passport.

Zartoo had been in telepathic communication during her detainment, telling her not to make any rash decisions with the limited magic she had remaining, or expect Fey assistance to that effect. To be fair, there was good reason for that; throwing around magic to grease the wheels would probably draw attention of the LEAF, the _last _group of people Holly wanted to have stick their noses in and start sniffing around.

She was advised to let the gears of bureaucracy run its course. The LEAF still was not getting involved with her supposed disappearance, and Trouble was in no hurry to surrender control of that investigation.

So she complied, and she was indeed released and issued a new passport by the UK Embassy... six days later, after she was finally able to convince the proper authorities that she had oh so tragically mugged by a terrifying little person who took her wallet and passport before approaching police scared him off, and she hadn't said anything right away because she had been _so shocked _by how suddenly it all happened. Her familiarity with Mulch Diggums helped here as she was able to provide an excellent description of the dwarf without prompting that matched their own.

Yet her trials didn't end once she crossed the channel and landed in Christchurch, Dorset; because even after the embassy gave her free travel, the Fey also neglected to provide something that she would need in pretty much _any _country she was in.

Money.

As she groused about the absence of coin to herself, Zartoo interjected telepathically.

_We provided you with the means to have an identity on the surface._ The Magister said. _You were the one who supposedly had friends __there._

Maybe the nature of bargains with the Fey weren't entire true, Holly had decided... but they weren't entirely _false _either.

She had decided while in detainment that she wanted to surprise Artemis with her new self, to see the look on his face as she bared her soul to him. That meant contacting him for money was out of the question. If she called Butler, he'd just tell Artemis. Artemis's mother might have been willing to play along, but Holly didn't know a number to contact her. Juliet, Butler's sister, would have also been willing, but she was in New York, where the "rent was too damn high" as it was.

At least Juliet was willing to keep the secret; but it still didn't change the fact that she _really _needed a change of clothes. _Badly_.

Holly remembered she had a special account set up for Artemis while she was on the surface, but she hadn't wanted to use it because he would no doubt notice the activity. At this point, however, she didn't have any other options.

Now she just had to find an ATM in which to access it.

It couldn't just be any one... Holly (or _any _elf for that matter) was forbidden to have access to human wealth, and had ways to track transactions at nearly any financial institution. There however, was on exception.

A specific banking institution apparently was "clean" from fairy influence, according to Artemis, and it was a claim that seemed to be supported by the fact that she had used that account multiple times without Trouble ever barking at her about it. So either trouble didn't care (which was laughable), or there _was _a bank that had managed to shove out, and keep out, fairy eyes and ears.

Which is why her path to Christchurch had not been an accident, as one such bank was here, in the city.

The green sign and insignia of Emerald Employees Credit Union was her personal pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and damn was she glad to see it.

But there was one more potential hurdle that she remembered and discovered once she entered the building, and the kiosk where the ATM was situatied.

Emerald ATM's used a new identification technology. You didn't have cards. You provided a thumb print and a retinal scan. What if... the new body she was given was different? Retinal scans were notoriously hard to replicate perfectly, after all.

"Goddamn shite." She grumbled, leaned into the sensor while dropping her thumb onto the print reader, and gave it a shot...

* * *

Artemis couldn't help but grin cheekily as Holly reached the conclusion of her tale.

"While the ATM _did _accept my fingerprint and retinal scan, I had a different official name than the one on the account." She said with mounting frustration at the recollection. "Took twenty-four hours to jump through those hoops before I could see even one pound. Fortunately, one of the tellers was a dear and spotted me forty to get a motel room with a shower."

"_Then _even once I got here, it was no peach. Turns out they don't just let _anyone _into a gated complex like this one. And again, as my name was changed, _I wasn't on the list_." Holly growled, leveling a baleful glare up at him. "Tried to find you on campus on a day you were supposed to be teaching, only to discover you _had called in sick_."

Artemis grin turned into a wince, mostly because she had starting poking him in the chest. "I had to use some of my limited residual magic to _mesmer your neighbor_ so that I could get in here. At that point, I learned about his party, and figured it was as good of a way to get you to see the new me."

The chiding was replaced by a tired sigh. "You are a _very _hard man to surprise, you know that?"

Artemis allowed himself a chuckle, and dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have lived to see my teen years." He then followed it up with another peck on her lips, and an appraising look into her eyes. Even with all the changes, they were still her eyes.

He'd know. One of them had been his for a while.

"So this was done for me, was it?" He asked. It wasn't something he was still totally sold on, especially the fact that it would no doubt make a mess of his life in the very near future.

Holly again dropped her head against his chest. "Maybe it _was _stupid. Maybe it's just going to make a mess of both our lives." She then looked up at him. "But... it was chance I wanted to take. I... didn't get the chance to say it a month ago, Arty... but I love you too. I have for a while, really. What's the point of living a millennium if I'm never going to find someone who makes me feel so much of everything ever again?"

It was her turn to drop a kiss on his lips, and she did so. "I want us to be together, and we couldn't be when we lived in two different worlds. So... I decided to become part of yours."

Artemis tightened his embrace. "Then lets get to work so that we have that future. Why don't you show me this address that the Fey gave you? Even if they don't want us making a break for it yet, it would be a good idea to have a plan in place."

Holly nodded, broke contact, turned around, then "accidentally" let the sheet fall to the floor as she crossed the hall to retrieve her handbag. She rather needed to get dressed anyway... might as well give Artemis one more show before she did.

When she returned ten minutes later in a green tee and denim jeans, and the handbag off her shoulder, she offered the slip Zartoo had given her to Artemis.

Any cheer he had vanished the moment he read it contents, the change so rapid and profound that it startled Holly. "Arty? What is it? What's wrong?"

Artemis held up a single finger to quiet her as he grabbed his cell phone from his desk and hit the top number on his speed dial. Once the recipient answered, Artemis said with a morose tone of voice, "Hello, Butler. Are you still planning on coming down this afternoon? Great. I could probably use the company right now, old friend."

Holly's eyes bulged, "Butler was coming to visit?"

Artemis demonstrated the saddened voice was wholly faked when his response was completely neutral. "Well, he is _now_. I didn't want to tip off anyone down below in case they were listening in by asking for an unplanned meeting."

Holly knew that the bodyguard wasn't exactly in peak condition, the years and the course of her healing aging him all those years ago had started to take its toll. "Artemis... should we be dragging him into this?"

"We'll need his expertise, Holly. Not necessarily his muscles." He replied. He held up the address she had given him and explained. "I know this address, you see. My father is an investor in the company where this address holds it headquarters."

"What is it?"

"The company is called Emerald Technologies, formerly InfoTech. They've become the primary player in the tech world since Opal's murder paradox. My father thinks they're nothing more than that, but Butler and I know differently."

Holly wasn't sure she was liking where this was going. The deal she made with the Fey was starting to look even worse. "What are they... then?"

"I'm not entirely certain what their game is, and that's scary enough. All I know is that they have technology that is 'clean', completely lacking _any _fairy influence or surveillance. You know how good LEP listening was, and I can't imagine the LEAF let that slip once they took over."

"That 'clean' nature couldn't have happened by accident." Holly surmised.

Artemis nodded, "They know about the People, Holly. They _have _to. And the way that their company has expanded world-wide, I shudder to think what they could be brewing. But that's not even the worst of it."

Holly grimaced. "And what's the worst?"

"The man who heads this company goes by the name of Sean Broderick, but Butler knew him by an entirely different name. His bio would tell you he's a former Army Green Beret Major; but he worked for the CIA under the code name Eraser, as well as freelance assassinations for anyone who could spare fifteen million American dollars in exchange for someone _dead_."

Artemis's face was grim, and his voice wasn't any better. "Holly... the Fey want to put you right on the doorstep of quite possibly the deadliest man on Earth."


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Big news that I won't drop here, but will say to check my profile for more information!_

**Chapter 7**

Butler was a shade bit concerned when Artemis didn't answer the door immediately, like the young man normally would whenever his presence is requested. Sometimes, Artemis had the door open before Butler had even finished the climb up the stairs to the flat.

So to get no response even after the second ring on the doorbell, and silence for another thirty seconds after that, was troubling. The retired bodyguard rolled his shoulder, working up his body to follow his mind's initiative, gauging the distance and how much force he would need while simultaneously steeling himself for what was no doubt going to hurt...

Only for the door to finally open as he lowered said shoulder to force his way through. Though Artemis finally answering his door didn't serve to allay any concern as much as shift it. Artemis was _not _dressed normally, first of all; black boxers, black t-shirt, and nothing else. He was also visibly flushed with disheveled hair, and what looked like the beginnings of a nibble mark on his neck.

"Sorry, old friend." Artemis finally said with gasping breath. "I... rather lost track of time..."

"Mmm hmm." The bodyguard confirmed with a neutral, cautious expression, if only for the reason that he suspected no matter how unusual the situation before him already was that it was only go to further down the rabbit hole once he stepped inside.

Artemis nervously shuffled to the aside, allowing the slightly hunched over bodyguard entry into the flat, a doorway that required Butler to slouch even with the bend to his spine. The very first thing he noticed when he entered were _two _plates on the dining room table, both of them eaten from. One of the chairs had been knocked over, still laying on its side forgotten.

Butler cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Did... you have company this morning?"

Artemis pursed his lips, a tell of his that had developed when he was trying to think of the right words to say. "I'm going to tell you something you _aren't _going to like, and you'll think I'm mad even considering it."

"It would hardly be the first time I thought you were about to do something insane." Butler retorted. "It would take quite a bit to startle these old bones, I suspect."

Or it would take a woman's voice calling out from Artemis's bedroom.

"Hey! Fowl!" She shouted, "You're paying me a hundred pounds an hour even if you aren't using it, boy!"

Butler's eyebrows just about hit his hairline, dark blue irises turning in his former charge's direction with pupils narrowing in accusation. In Artemis's defense, the young professor looked _equally _aghast. That said, it was hard to buy that it was a look of disbelief considering the circumstances.

The declaration was followed by a remarkably curvy young woman with copper red hair and carmel skin popping into the hall, clad in a strapless black bra and matching panties. With all the confidence in being seen in her undergarments as one would expect from a... escort... she strode through the hall and into the living room.

The woman gave Butler the once over, and the older man found himself rather at a loss as she said with a hint of displeasure. "What is this now? You didn't say anything about a _menage a trois_, Mister Fowl. That's going to be extra."

Now fully in the light, Butler now understood what had seemed uncanny about her. The voice... the appearance... had Butler not known better, he would have thought this was...

Artemis had finally manage to form words with his lips, though they weren't many, and didn't offer any explanation to what was happening, "Holly... what are you...?"

The woman then turned to Artemis, and sighed, before laying into him with a frustrated tone. "And what is this 'Holly' nonsense, anyway? When we agreed on our price, you didn't mention _anything_ about roleplay."

Poor Artemis looked like his best friend had betrayed him. "Holly..."

"The name's _Amelia_, boy." She shot back. "Amelia Ponder. You should know, you demanded to see my ID when I came in."

The woman pointed to a handbag hanging off the coat rack next to the front door. Out of curiosity, Butler crossed the distance, and examined the ID in question, confirming what she had been claiming. There was another something else that caught his attention... but Artemis's well-being was more important at the moment.

Butler knew that Artemis had been very down ever since a talk with Holly that Artemis had refused to talk about, rebuffing any attempts from _anyone_, be it friend or family, as he began to exhibit signs of a man spiraling into a deep depression. Had he sought comfort in a mistress of a night... or more accurately who he_ thought_ was a courtesan?

Butler tucked the second item of interest into his jacket pocket. The most important thing was to get himself between this woman and Artemis, which he did by stepping between them and pushing Artemis back towards the table. The next question he asked wasn't so much because he was disappointed, but more to get a good look at Artemis for any signs of distress or foul play. "Artemis... are you alright?"

His former charge had the look of a man who wasn't even sure himself anymore. "I... but I thought she... we... she told me..."

At that point, the woman erupted into boisterous laughter, starting both men who quickly turned about to regard her. "Oh, Frond... or should I say 'Oh God' now... the look on your faces!"

Butler blinked rapidly, so startled by the change in demeanor that he did not nearly as quickly as his suspicions demanded, because the woman threw her arms around his waist in a warm hug before he even knew it. "Oh, Butler, I'm sorry..." She said with a familiarity that only confused the old bodyguard further. "But you have to admit that was a _perfect_ prank!"

"Am I going mad, old friend?" Artemis asked with an uncertain whimper.

Butler gave him a look of sympathy and answered, "If you are, I'm going with you."

"Butler!" The woman scolded, "I know I've changed a bit, but look at me! It's me! Holly! Holly Short!"

Butler did just that, giving the woman a good long appraising look while exerting all his willpower to tell himself that while this girl was gloriously under-dressed, he was far too old to be entertaining such base thoughts anyway.

A rough hand slid over Holly's cheek. Either Holly's holo-camo had taken several steps forward (because he had always felt that he could tell the difference between real flesh and illusionary, at least when he _knew_ it was fake)... or this was real.

"Holly?" He asked in stupified awe.

"In the flesh!" She chirped, finally breaking away and closing the distance between her and Artemis. She hugged him, kissed him on the chin, then damn near plastered herself onto him until he returned the embrace. "I'm sorry, Arty. It was just a joke. I didn't mean to upset you."

Now convinced of Holly's identity, the affection didn't surprise him, it's not like the two hadn't been dancing around that mutual attraction for years. But he still found that once his blood pressure rose, it was a bit of crash when it came back down... like it was starting to, so he feared that the display would appear to be the reason for him saying, "I think I need to sit down."

He followed it up with a hasty, "No, no... don't stop being friendly on my account. I can make it to the sofa on my own. However, I do suspect I have a lot to be caught up on."

Butler settled himself on the reinforced sofa that Artemis had custom built specifically for the larger man, while Artemis took his leave towards the kitchen, and Holly disappeared momentarily into Artemis's bedroom to put on something more suitable.

She finished first and dropped down onto a chair next to the sofa. She had such a vivid blush going that it was clearly visible even considering her skin tone. "Its real, by the way."

"What is?" Butler asked, "Your body?"

Holly nodded. "I... made myself human."

"To be with Artemis." Butler said, allowing himself a short happy smile for her before he let seriousness settle back in. "I can only imagine your former friends with the LEP aren't too happy about that."

"No. They aren't. It's LEAF that worries me more, though."

"I am only vaguely aware of the changes below. Artemis has kept me as out of the loop as he can since I retired." Butler said. "So pardon me if I don't fully understand the depths of the concern."

"LEAF stands for the Lower Element Armed Forces. They are a military-grade, trained, and operated unit." Holly explained. "Since the entire adventure at the Beserker's Gate, they taken control of all access to the surface, along with nearly 60% of the LEP's previous assets along with the expanded powers they have."

"An armed forces is a definite aggressive tack to take." Butler mused. "The Lower Elements are planning war, then?"

Holly shrugged, "The claim is that they are preparing for the now inevitable discovery of the Lower Elements by humanity, and the inevitable aggression from humanity that would come from it. While I was unaware of any plans for a 'pre-emptive strike' against humans... it wouldn't surprise me, either. The LEAF has done such a good job convincing fairy-kind that war is coming that it wouldn't take much."

"The Lower Elements have always felt that another war with humans would end just as badly for them as the first one." Butler said.

"LEAF has taken such an aggressive stance on getting the Lower Elements geared for war that I fear the Council might decide that if they're going to lose anyway, they might as well take the first punch."

"And this pertains to you becoming human... how?"

Holly exhaled, and her face turned guilty. "LEAF is a military organization, not a civil law-enforcement one. LEAF doesn't have to answer to anyone for utilizing lethal force with all prejudice when it comes to someone who has 'turned traitor'."

"Which you have been labeled, no doubt."

Holly nodded, "If LEAF finds me, there won't be an arrest or trial. I'll be killed on sight, and likely anyone with me."

Butler noted, "And yet here you are in Artemis's home, being intimately involved and playing pranks on him and me."

Holly cringed, "I know that sounds bad, but the Fey... the beings responsible for my transformation... are watching the situation, and they don't want me to make a run for it just yet. I'll receive word when I'm supposed to make a break for it. Artemis and I were going to begin planning our escape when he called you."

Artemis entered with a teapot, a sugar bowl, and three cups as Butler displayed the second item in Holly's handbag that caught his attention. "And that explains why Holly would have Eraser's address. I take it that's where these Fey want you to run to?"

"I told you that it would sound insane." Artemis said, pouring out tea in Butler's cup, then Holly's then his own.

Butler shook his head, both refusing sugar and in response to Artemis's question, "It really doesn't, knowing what I know." Seeing Artemis's betrayed expression, he added, "You're not the only one that's been keeping information from others, my boy. Your father... didn't want you getting involved. Said you've dealt with this sort of adventure enough."

Artemis's hospitality was forgotten, putting down the sugar bowl before finishing the scoop he was going to add to Holly's tea. As he sat back down, both Butler and Holly saw the Artemis of his teenage years return as he folded his hands in front of his mouth and said simply, "Explain yourself this instant."

"Arty..." Holly said warningly.

"It sounds like Butler and my father started nosing around in something that I'd have the most experience in dealing with." Artemis said defiantly.

Butler took it in stride, "Your father heeded your warnings. About Broderick. The last few years, I've been trying to gather information on exactly what he and Emerald Technologies has been up to, their rapid expansion, and why they've taken such a dogged lead in the tech world."

The older man shifted into the cushions to get more comfortable. "Most of the information is still highly classified; not even my connections in America's CIA were able to get me much from before, just that Broderick and his squad got back together after something got them honorably discharged from the army. Exactly what that event was has been hard to piece together; as the squad's actions were as much freelance as they were under U.S. auspices."

"Two names came up; Cornelius Grimbor and a geneticist with KGB ties named Vladimir Kirov. Both of them had been working on a top secret project in conjuction with the U.S. Army and the CIA after the fall of the USSR, but what exactly that project was... I still don't know. What I do know was that it was important enough for Broderick and his team to gather up all that information and found InfoTech."

Artemis nodded, "That was in 2003 though. That's more than a decade sitting in the background as an obscure tech company."

"Right. Then they explode on the scene after Opal's little time crisis, and quickly get humanity back on its feet in double time."

Holly's eyes narrowed, "You don't think they... _assisted_ Opal?"

Butler shook his head, "Oh no. Believe me, had Broderick _wanted_ to take control of the tech world and become a multi-national corporate entity with assets rapidly approaching the economies of most first world countries, he wouldn't have needed a complete tech collapse to do it."

Artemis nodded, "Whatever they're up to, they need a tech-rich human civilization to do it, and they don't want the Lower Elements sniffing around, either."

Holly asked Butler, "So this Broderick fellow knows about The People then?"

Butler nodded vigorously, "Oh yeah. If the 'clean' tech wasn't a clue, Broderick outright said as much to Artemis's father during a private meeting. He knows about Artemis's adventures, knows about the connections Artemis formed, and straight up told Artemis's father that fairy-kind does indeed exist and can't be trusted."

Holly thought about this, and wondered out loud, "Could _that_ be what LEAF is afraid of?"

Butler shrugged. "Maybe... but I doubt it. If the picture of LEAF you paint is accurate, and they knew anything about what Broderick and his people are cooking, I can't imagine they would be sitting idle."

Artemis cut in crossly, "What are they cooking?"

"Again, I don't know exactly. But I suspect it's magical."

Holly and Artemis both asked simultaneously, "How do you figure?"

Butler shifted again. His back was getting so bad that he figured surgery would be necessary soon, as much as he disliked going under the knife. "There's been a lot of movement of information going to InfoTech long before they made the name and corporate switch. They weren't just stockpiling tech, they were gathering old legends and fables from around the world, both modern and ancient, though preferably ancient."

"It was carefully hidden through a program that was claimed to simply be a massive information archival, but they were looking for those specific things." Butler said. "Of that, I'm confident."

"There were a couple of events, one in 2005 and one in 2006 that really make me believe in a magical connection, though. The first one involved InfoTech launching their first high altitude satellite. We're talking top of the ionosphere here... any further up and you aren't even in orbit anymore. But I'll tell you right now, it was no satellite, it was a space station."

Artemis blinked. "What on Earth would Broderick need a space station for?"

Butler shook his head, "No idea. All I know is that Broderick and someone else that I have yet to find identification for went up there. Only Broderick came back. And here's where it gets real weird. He was _hot_."

Holly blinked, "Well, that makes sense. When you're that high up, even fairy technology isn't able to completely shield an interior from solar radiation."

"I'm talking about he was hot to the tune of 300 times higher than he should have been. That level of radiation should kill in a matter of hours. Yet Broderick walks away that night not the least bit the worse for wear. There's no technology on Earth that could accomplish that."

"But magic can..." Holly concluded with concern.

Butler nodded. "Now here's where the story gets even stranger. The doctors who had been called to treat him disappeared. Records pertaining to the treatment were either sealed or destroyed... all on the order of a Major General Wilson Braddock."

"Broderick's direct superior when he was with the Eraser Initiative." Artemis told Holly.

"Yep. You don't get high brass involved, and go to such lengths to cover up a simple case of radiation poisoning. I'd go a step further and say he was radiating _magic itself._ Which leads to the second incident a year later."

Holly blanched a little. "2006... this incident wouldn't have happened at Carn Goedog, would it?"

Butler nodded. "It did."

Holly explained to Artemis, "Remember how we lost three years during the adventure to Hybras?" When Artemis nodded, "During that time period that we were gone a UMEE, or unexplained magically empowered event, occurred; centered at Carn Goedog in Pembrokeshire. There was a handful of very high intensity bursts of magical energy, well beyond any naturally occurring eruption. But by the time the LEP responded to investigate, there were no signs of anyone save a single unidentified human body... dead for hours. The man carried a lingering electrical charge and was positively glowing with magic, but had not been the source of either. To this day, the LEP had no leads."

"It was Broderick... or at least, he was there when whatever happened happened." Butler explained. "Him and a woman named Rachel Doe, a diagnosed schizophrenic released to Broderick under very suspicious reasons under the order of General Braddock. Wanna know her story? You're gonna love it."

Artemis and Holly nodded.

"Girl claimed that she could see monsters from a place called the Grey Lands. And that she had been born to be the key that ripped open something called the Grey Veil, that would allow her father, the Grey King to return to the Earth and destroy everything."

The blood drained from Holly's face. "The Grey King... it was a legend from the time before the Great War between humans and fairy. It was said that Frond was just a figurehead; that he was actually ruled by a shadow monach named The Grey King. There's no evidence that such a person existed, at least no records that fairies have... but... how would a human know about that legend?"

"Good question." Butler replied. "And I don't know the answer. But what I do know is that Broderick and this Rachel Doe were at Carn Goedog at the exact time this UMEE you speak of occurred, and that the CIA has reason to believe this unidentified man was a mass-murderer known as the Zodiac Killer."

"That's impossible." Holly said with a shake of her head. "The man in question was probably in his thirties."

"And the Zodiac Killer would have been much older than that in 2006." Artemis added.

Butler shook his head, "You're forgetting magic is involved here... and there's reason to believe that this man found wasn't human, at least, not completely."

"And what reason is this?"

Butler smiled deviously. "I'm going to need access to a clean computer. I trust Artemis has one."

* * *

Butler wasn't exactly tech-savvy... but he had to learn some things over the last handful of years in order to fulfill Artemis Senior's requests. Once in front of Artemis's second laptop, Butler began chicken pecking out an address. "This archive is where Artemis's father and I had been compiling information we found on Broderick and his friends, away from both Broderick _and_ the People's prying eyes."

"What I'm about to show you is something that was no doubt supposed to be destroyed in 2006. It certainly wasn't from lack of trying by Broderick and the CIA. A medical examiner's assistant in Wales snapped this photo of the victim in Carn Goedog hours after the LEP likely abandoned the scene. She then went into hiding when it became clear that the CIA was looking to keep it under wraps. She wasn't successful... but this lone copy of the photo she took managed to slip through Broderick's fingers."

At that point, the image loaded, and Holly gasped in shock.

It wasn't a particularly good photo, nor was it a particularly good angle... but it was enough for Holly to see the victim's coal black eyes.

"That's a _Fey!_"

That proved to be news to Butler. "Oh?"

"That's the connection!" Holly exclaimed. "That's how the Fey know about Broderick when the Lower Elements don't! That's why they think I'll be safe there! The Fey are working with Emerald Technologies!"

Butler put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, "Yes... that would explain a great deal. Especially Emerald's latest project."

Artemis asked, "And what is that?"

Butler sighed, "Again... don't know much at all. Just that there is something going on deep in Emerald Technologies, and that at most twenty people in the corporation knows what it is, all of them part of Broderick's old squad and inner circle. There's a lot of resources moving to the Washington facility, and not a lot going out. It's so top secret that they aren't even bringing in engineers _with the company_ to work on it. It's all being done by those twenty people. A lot of tech... a lot of those ancient legends... and only a few hands touching all of it."

The retired bodyguard offered his conclusion. "If I had to make a guess, I'd be betting that Broderick is trying to use tech to harness magic. For what purpose... I haven't the slightest idea, but that's my best guess."

Holly and Artemis looked at each other despondently, and Holly began, "Why do I get the feeling that going there wouldn't be finding sanctuary..."

"... and instead would just be an entirely different fire to burn us." Artemis finished.

Butler closed the laptop, and said sternly, "You both really don't have any other option." He looked up at them both. "There's no way that you would be able to escape LEAF forever on your own, and if there is one entity that could give the Lower Elements pause, it would be Emerald Technologies."

Artemis nodded. "You're right, old friend. Should I arrange a call with Broderick to tell them what is happening then?"

Butler shook his head rapidly, "Yes, but I would be wary. As much as Broderick's life has changed over the years, he is still a highly trained killer. If he decides you are a threat, do not doubt for one moment that he will hunt you down and end your life. Tell him what has happened, what the Fey told you and Holly to do, and nothing else. Do not commit to anything until you and I can go over it first."

Holly asked, "Go over it with you?"

Butler sighed, "Broderick is not going to want me present. He didn't want me in the same room when he had his talk with Artemis's father, and he's not going to want me around when he talks to Artemis. I suspect he knows that I've been digging around about him, and doesn't like it, but isn't bothered enough by it to do something overt about it."

After a moment's thought, Butler added, "Besides, I was a bodyguard. He was an assassin. We weren't going to like each other on general principle."


End file.
